Pokémon GJA
by SonicInfinity
Summary: Ash and Pikachu have found their way to a brand new region, Ralia. Meeting up with new friends and old, their shared quest of becoming Pokémon Masters continues as they meet new Pokémon, explore new cities, and witness multiple new wonders of the Pokémon world! Styled like the anime, but based on my own video game concepts, Garnet, Jade, and Amethyst versions.
1. Ralia: New Adventure Awaits!

**Hello, everybody! This is SonicInfinity here, and this is my breakout fanfiction! This story represents my fanmade ideas for the next Pok** **émon video games, Garnet, Jade, and Amethyst versions. And what better way to do it then with a season from the anime? So here it is, enjoy, please review.**

* * *

 _Episode One: Ralia: New Adventure Awaits!_

 _Welcome to the newest corner of the Pok_ _émon world, the Ralia Region! Around here, a history of the development of the relationships between people and Pokémon lies hidden within our everyday lives. Still, in this region, it is the scientists and researchers who dominate, for Ralia is home to a diverse amount of biomes and environments, which many Pokémon have come to call their home._ As the narrator spoke, we are shown the many habitats throughout Ralia. These include a tropical jungle, where Ariados descend from trees branches from their webs, some Morelulls were sleeping in the shade giving off light from the mushrooms on top of their heads, and a Noctowl was soaring in between trees. Then we see a desert, where a Helioptile is sunning itself on a rock, a Gible is digging in the sand for food, and several Sandile are scurrying across the ground. Next we see a coastline beach, where Amolomolas jump out of the water, Krabbys scurried across the sand, and Corsolas wash up on the beach with the tide. On an icy peak, some Piloswines are seen moving snow out of their way with their tusks, an Abomasnow is seen sleeping in a cave surrounded by a mild, snowy wind, and a Bergmite is pretending to be a stalagmite in that cave it get some shelter. Finally, on a mountain range, some Skiddos are following their mother Gogoat by jumping from ridge to ridge, while a Staravia is seen standing on the Gogoat's horns, as if trying to gain a free ride.

 _Of course,_ said the narrator, _Ralia is no stranger to modern cities and towns, in which people have come to introduce their own conveniences to everyday survival._ We are then shown a few large cities in Ralia, some that are small and have little more than fruit stands and supermarkets, but one in particular is huge, with a massive harbor for boats big and small, as well as a large, white building fashioned to look like a sailboat, with many windows and streetlights attached to it.

 _Ralia is indeed a place for those who are looking for adventure,_ the narrator continued, _and, wouldn't you know it, it seems like it will have new visitors soon._

* * *

We are then suddenly flashed away to the Kalos region, and are shown a pleasant little house in Vaniville Town. Out front, a Rhyhorn was is napping in the sunlight, until it was suddenly awoken by the sound of approaching footsteps. It opened its eyes and turned it head towards the front of the yard, and its face lit up as it recognized a young, blue-eyed, honey- colored-haired girl, wearing a plaid skirt, black T-shirt, and pink hat. She smiled and bent down before Rhyhorn before stroking under its chin and saying, "Yeah, Rhyhorn, I'm home. Have you seen Mom anywhere?"

Rhyhorn stood up and began to lead the girl behind the house, where the girl's mother, Grace, the famous Rhyhorn racer was hanging up laundry on the clothesline. Rhyhorn grunted to get her attention, and Grace turned around to face her daughter.

"Serena!" she said, walking over to hug her. "You know how long it's been since I heard from you? I was beginning to get worried."

"I haven't called recently because I was on my way here!" Serena explained.

"Well, I'm glad you're here!" Grace said ending the hug. "Where are your Pokémon?"

"Oh, yeah!" Serena pulled three Pokéballs off of her belt and threw them in the air, saying, "Come on out!" The Pokéballs burst open, and out came a Braixen, a Pancham, and a Sylveon.

"Brai, brai!"

"Cham, pancham!"

"Sylveon!"

Grace smiled. "It's wonderful to see you all, too," she said. "C'mon, everyone, I made some brownies earlier. Let's go inside and eat."

Later, Serena and her mother were sitting at the table eating the brownies Grace had made, and Serena was downing it all down with a glass of milk.

"These are delicious, Mom!" she said, when she saw Pancham suddenly trying to reach for one.

"Oh, no," she said, grabbing Pancham's paw. "I already have something special prepared for you guys." She reached into her backpack, and pulled out a plastic box. She opened it and revealed a tray of delicious-looking PokéPuffs. Pancham looked excited as he quickly pulled a chocolate puff out of the tray and began gorging himself on it. Braixen and Sylveon, who were playing in the background, took notice and came over to eat some PokéPuffs themselves.

"They really loved your cooking, huh?" Grace smiled.

"Yep," said Serena. "These three are always trying to get up in my face begging for more when the PokéPuffs ran out."

"So, what have you been up to lately?" Grace said as she sat back in her chair.

"Well, I think I've been all over Hoenn at this point. My Pokémon and I were collecting ribbon at every contest we could find. I even made a few new friends. They were contesters, too, and their names were May and Dawn. They were visiting Pokémon contests at its core."

"Interesting," Grace said.

"But the truth is," Serena said, "I didn't qualify for the best position in contesting. They told me it would be a while before I'd get to try again."

"Really?" said Grace. "So now what are your plans?"

"Honestly, I don't know," said Serena. "If I'm being honest though, I sometimes miss just being a Pokémon Performer." She suddenly got an idea. "Say, there haven't been any new Performance shows around here in Kalos have there?"

"Sorry, Serena," Grace said, "I haven't heard about those in a long time. I don't know what's up, but they don't seem to be doing them very often anymore."

Serena slumped in her chair. "Great," she said. "Now what am I gonna do?"

"You could always go visit some of your old friends," Grace suggested. "Like what about Clemont and Bonnie?"

"I was already at Lumiose City today," Serena said. "But they aren't there anymore. Their dad told me that they were on their way to the Alola region. They wanted to visit the Hokulani Observatory. Probably won't see them again for a while.

"Well, what about Ash?" said Grace.

Serena paused for a second when she heard that name. She began to think back to the boy she'd met back in the Kanto region, in the midst of a summer camp hosted by Professor Samuel Oak. She remembered back to how she had seen him on the news scaling the Lumiose Tower just to help a rampaging Garchomp. She remembered how she, at that moment had decided to set out on a trip around Kalos as an official Pokémon trainer. Eventually, she'd met up with Ash, Clemont, and Bonnie, and next thing she knew, she was involved in a long adventure with her three new friends. She admitted it seemed impulsive the way she'd left home the way she did, but she never regretted that decision.

At that point, she remembered the last time she's seen Ash. She was at the Lumiose airport about to leave for the Hoenn region. She had said her goodbyes to her friends, but then, she decided to run back up the escalator to Ash…

...and kiss him. She never forgot Ash suddenly growing a smile on her face at that moment. That was totally worth it.

"Ash could probably be anywhere by now," Serena pointed out. "You know how he is, not far away from an adventure."

"Maybe not," Grace smirked. "I actually got off the phone with his mother a few days ago, Ash is still in his hometown, Pallet Town, right now."

Serena suddenly lit up. "Really?"

"Sure."

Serena suddenly rose from her seat and said, "You know what? Maybe I _will_ go see him."

* * *

 _Serena isn't the only one looking for a new adventure. Over in Pallet Town, in the Kanto region, the young Ash Ketchum seems to be gearing up for more fun right now! Serena was right about one thing, Ash never stays in one place for too long._

"Ash, are you dressed yet?" yelled Delia Ketchum at her son from downstairs. Her Mr. Mime, Mimey was currently helping her load the dishes into the dishwasher, while Ash's lifelong partner, Pikachu, was having some breakfast on the kitchen table.

"Don't worry, Mom," Ash called from his room. "Just having trouble with this zipper."

"Well, hurry up!" called Delia. "I wanna see how these new clothes I bought for you look."

Finally, the young, raven-haired boy made it to the bottom of the stairs, and was wearing a blue-and-white hat on his head with a Pokéball symbol on it, a black jacket, blue jeans, and a red shirt underneath the jacket. "How does it look?" asked Ash.

"It looks great on you!" cheered Delia. "So, what were you going to do today?"

"I wanted to drop by the Professor's lab, play all my Pokémon," Ash said.

"Okay, I take you there," said Delia. "The Professor actually wanted to speak with me anyway, we can go together."

"Sounds good to me," said Ash.

* * *

Sitting up in a tree were three all-to-familiar faces. They were Jessie, James, and Meowth, the self-proclaimed master Pokémon thieves of the organization known as Team Rocket. Right now, though, Jessie and James were looking thoroughly bored.

"We haven't had a single thing to do since we returned to Kanto," said Jessie, her face in her palm.

"The boss never even wants to give us jobs anymore," James agreed. "It's like he doesn't need us."

"Nonsense!" shouted Meowth. "The boss has always needed us, 'cause without us, Team Rocket would never have expanded around the world as much as we have!"

"Hm, I suppose that's true," said Jessie. "But unless a new region is revealed to us, the boss has no use for us."

"Then I say we try nabbing Pikachu again!" suggested Meowth.

"I don't know, Meowth," said James. "I've been thinking, does the boss really want that Pikachu as much as we think he does?"

"Never mind the boss!" said Meowth. "Yes, at first, it was about getting Pikachu for the boss, considering just how powerful it really is, but now it's about the pride of Team Rocket!"

"Pride of Team Rocket?" said Jessie.

"You guys know how many times that twerp and his Pikachu have launched us sky high! They make Aipoms out of us and then laugh it off! We can't honestly be expected to tolerate someone who keeps trying to turn Team Rocket into a laughing stock can we?"

James and Jessie paused for a second, before their faces turned red with rage. "You're right!" James declared. "We can't take this kind of humiliation sitting down!"

"Let's find that twerp now!" said Jessie. "We'll teach him what for!"

"Great!" said Meowth. "I bet he's over at that Professor guy's house! As long as we're there, we can grab all the other Pokémon that are kept there!"

"Great, then let's go!" said James.

* * *

 **Who's that Pokémon?**

 **This Pokémon's long ears are indispensable sensors. By focusing its hearing, it can identify what kind of prey is around, even if rough and fast-moving rivers.**

* * *

Later, at the lab, Ash, Pikachu, and Delia were greeted by a grinning Professor Oak and Tracy. "Welcome back, you guys!" Oak greeted. "Always a pleasure to have you over."

"So, what have you been up to lately?" asked Delia.

"Lately, I've been working on sketching the Pokémon who get brought in here everyday," said Tracy. "As for the professor, he's actually been talking with his nephew."

"You have a nephew?" Ash asked Oak.

"You bet," Oak said, "and he's actually a Pokémon Professor too. His name is Professor Acacia. And he's asked me to help with a very important project."

"Really? What is it?" asked Ash.

"I'll tell you about it later," said Oak. "Right now, I should point out, your Pokémon are waiting to see you."

"Alright," said Ash as he looked at Pikachu on his shoulder. "You ready, buddy?"

"Pika pi!" said Pikachu excitedly. At that, Ash and Pikachu ran out into Oak's seemingly endless backyard, littered with all the Pokémon Ash had accumulated over the years.

"Hey, guys! I'm back!" Ash called out. It wasn't long before he was tackled by his excited Pokémon. After that, Ash was doing all sorts of things with his Pokémon, including getting into a water fight with Totodile, Buizel, and Oshawott, riding on one of his Tauros, followed by the twenty-nine others, Lycanroc, and Quilava, and throwing fruit from the top of a tree alongside Sceptile for Bulbasaur and Bayleef to slice up with Razor Leaf attacks.

* * *

Meanwhile, Delia was sitting down with Professor Oak and Tracy, and she asked, "So why exactly did you want me to come here?"

"I need a favor," said Oak. "Well, actually, I need Ash to do me a favor. Remember what I said about my nephew? Well, the thing is he needs me to deliver a package to his lab all the way in the Ralia region. Unfortunately, I've never done well on boats, I'm afraid. I always get seasick."

Delia paused. "So are you saying that you want Ash to deliver the package for you?"

"Exactly," said Oak. "I figured he'd enjoy getting to see the Ralia region during this little errand. If you saw the Ralia region, you'd want him to see it as well."

Delia smiled. "I suppose that could be fun for Ash," she said. "He may not admit it, but I know he tired of being cooped up in the house all day."

"So, it's settled, then," said Tracy. "Let's go tell him."

"No," came another voice in the lab. "I will go get him."

* * *

Ash and Pikachu were relaxing on a small hill in Oak's ranch while his other Pokémon were currently resting. "You know, Pikachu," Ash said, "It's been a lot of fun to just relax here in Pallet Town, but I'd be lying if I said I didn't miss being on the road. It's not like a Pokémon Master to just sit and do nothing."

"Pika," Pikachu agreed.

"Eventually, though, I guess we won't have a choice," said Ash. "I mean, we've been to just about every corner of the world by now. Soon, there won't be anywhere left to explore."

"Hey, Ash?" came a robotic voice.

Ash looked up to see his old personal assistant, the Rotom Pokédex.

"Hey, RotomDex," Ash said, "I was wondering where you were. How've you been?"

"It's been great!" said RotomDex. "I'm glad you let me stay with Professor Oak! It's allowed me to get more up close and personal with Pokémon than ever before. My data gets updated everyday! But that's not why I'm here."

Ash looked confused. "Huh?"

"Professor Oak has requested to speak with you," RotomDex explained. "He claims he needs a favor."

"Okay," said Ash, standing up as Pikachu hopped back on his shoulder. "I'll go talk to him right now."

* * *

 **It's Azumarill!**

* * *

In the lab, Ash, Pikachu, and RotomDex entered into Oak's computer lab, where Oak was working on some files. He looked up and saw Ash and welcomed him in.

"Ash, I'm glad you're here!" he said. "I assume you know that I wanted a favor?"

"Yeah," said Ash. "So what is it?"

Oak turned around and picked up a metal suitcase. "I need you to make a small delivery for me."

He handed Ash the suitcase, who opened it up and was surprised to see some Pokémon eggs in it. One was colored both bright and dark green, another was orange and red with a scale-like pattern, and the third was water blue with dark blue spots.

"Are these Pokémon eggs?" asked Ash.

"Indeed," said Oak, "though I'm not going to tell you what they hatch into. Remember my nephew I was talking about earlier? Well, he sent me these eggs so that I could study them, but now, he has requested them back as soon as possible. He planned on handing them off to some kids he knows."

"So, they're starter Pokémon?" Ash guessed.

"Yes," Oak replied. "The thing is, my nephew is from the Ralia region. He has a lab there in Coastport City."

"The Ralia region?" said Ash. "I've never heard of that place before."

"You'll love it there," said Oak. "There's a perfect balance between modern technology and nature there. I've got a ticket for the S. S. Anne's next departure to Ralia, so what do you think? You want to run this errand for me?"

Ash grinned. "You bet I do! Ralia sounds cool!"

"Great!" said Oak. "On that note, RotomDex, I want you to go with Ash."

"Why?" questioned RotomDex. "I don't know any of the Pokémon that live in the Ralia region."

"Don't worry," assured Oak, "I've got something for you to use." He pulled out a small, rectangular, blue device with a flat screen and a single button.

"What is that?" asked Ash.

"My nephew also sent me his version of the Pokédex," explained Oak. "Maybe RotomDex will be able to use it?"

"I don't know if I'm comfortable with this," said RotomDex.

"You'll be fine," said Oak. "You won't even know the difference."

"Well, okay," said RotomDex. At that moment, a Rotom ejected itself from the Pokédex body and flew into the new one. The blue Pokédex suddenly came to life and Rotom's face lit up the screen.

"This feels great!" exclaimed RotomDex. "I feel like I have so much more data inside my head now!"

"That's because my my nephew's invention is no ordinary Pokédex," Oak explained. "It does so much more than analyze Pokémon. It can also take pictures, pull up a global map, make phone calls, connect to the web, it even has video games!"

"That's so awesome!" said Ash.

RotomDex decided to test out his new mechanics by analyzing Pikachu. A three-dimensional, rotating, holographic image of a Pikachu was shined out in front of RotomDex as he said, "Pikachu, the Electric Mouse Pokemon. An Electric type. Pikachus often form groups and create thunderstorms with their shared electricity. It checks its surroundings by raising its tail, though it is sometimes struck by lightning in this pose. Evolves from Pichu if leveled up with high friendship and into Raichu through the use of a Thunderstone."

"These new features are so amazing!" gushed Ash. "Well, I suppose we should get going, huh?"

"Indeed," said RotomDex. "By my calculations, our boat will be leaving in 56.23 minutes."

Oak handed Ash a ticket and some credits. "That should be enough to get you there and back. Good luck, Ash."

Little did Ash or Oak know, but Team Rocket was eavesdropping from on top of a tree, with Meowth looking at them through binoculars.

"Well, whadda you know?" said Meowth. "There is another region out there. And the twerp is on his way!"

"You know what?" said James. "Let's not even wait for the boss this time. I say we just follow the twerp and establish Team Rocket's presence in Ralia all on our own."

"He'd give us a promotion on the spot!" said Jessie. "And while we're at it, we'll grab Pikachu and those three eggs, too! That should give us a head start on stealing the Pokémon of the Ralia region."

Suddenly, though, the three were met by Sceptile suddenly appearing on the branch right next to them. It glared and the leaves on its elbows began to glow green.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, buddy!" said Meowth, waving his hands in front of him. "No need to start a ruckus, now…"

But suddenly, Charizard appeared flying in front of them. It yelled, "Charizard!" and unleashed a massive Flamethrower in Team Rocket's direction. There was a small explosion and Team Rocket found themselves soaring off into the sky.

"Well, at least it doesn't hurt as much as a Thunderbolt," James muttered.

"WE'RE BLASTING OFF AGAIN!" they yelled as they disappeared with a twinkle in the sky.

 _It looks like Ash is on his way to his latest adventure, on his way to the Ralia region. And it looks like he won't be alone either. The question is, what will he encounter as soon as he gets there? I guess we'll find soon, as the journey continues!_

 **TO BE CONTINUED…**

* * *

 **Well, there you go! My first ever chapter. More chapters will soon follow, so stay tuned, and please review! Any and all copyrights belong to Nintendo and Gamefreak, not to me.**


	2. New City, New Faces!

**Welcome back, everyone! Just so you know, I'm still getting used to how this website works, so my stories may seem a little wonky at first. Also, I decided to follow Gamefreak's recent trend of basing regions off of real-world places, so I chose one, big country to serve as the main inspiration for Ralia. I dare you guys to guess what it is.**

* * *

In the Kalos region, Serena was beginning to pack her things to prepare for her big trip to the Kanto region. She packed some credits into her bag, and stashed her extra clothes into her suitcase.

"C'mon, Serena!" Grace said, walking into the room. "You plane's going to leave in an hour!"

"I'm almost ready," said Serena. "Just trying to pick out my hat. What do you think, this one or this one?"

Serena showed her mother two hats, one blue and one pink. "I kind of like pink," said Grace.

"Great!" said Serena, putting the pink hat on her bed and putting on the blue one.

"I'm sorry," said Grace, "do you not trust my fashion advice?"

"Sorry," Serena said, "but you know we have very different tastes in clothes."

At this point, Serena was dressed in a black skirt, had red boots and jacket, a blue shirt hiding underneath, and had done her hair into a ponytail.

"Well," said Grace, "if you're ready, we've got to go."

At the Lumiose Airport, final calls were being made for the the next flight to Kanto. Serena and her mother were struggling to push through the many people in their way.

"Well," said Grace, "here's your ticket. Tell Ash I said hello."

Serena took the ticket from her mother and quickly wrapped her in a hug. "Thanks, Mom," she said. "I'll be back! Now you know how to care for Braixen, Pancham, and Sylveon, right?"

"Of course, I have the list right here!" said Grace. "Now go, or they'll leave without you!"

"Right. thanks, Mom!" said Serena as she ran to join the other people boarding the plane. Once she was finally aboard and was seated, she looked out the window as the plane rose from the ground, taking off until Kalos became just a speck of dust in her eyes.

Serena relaxed in her seat, thinking about what she'd do when she arrived. She had only been to Kanto once for Oak's summer camp, and she couldn't help but wonder what else was there. But before that, she wondered what would happen when she saw Ash again. She wondered what he'd been up to since now, and wondered…

...if he'd remember their last encounter.

Serena suddenly smiled, knowing that seeing Ash again would all be worth it.

* * *

 _It seems like Serena is only too excited to see her friend Ash again, but by the looks of it, she may have arrived too late._

"Good luck, Ash!" said Delia.

"Have fun!" waved Oak.

"Tell the professor I said hello!" said Tracy.

Ash, Pikachu, and RotomDex all waved back at Delia, Oak, and Tracy as the boat was slowly beginning to pull away from the dock at Vermillion City. "See you later, guys!" said Ash. "We'll be back!"

"Pika pi!" said Pikachu.

"So long," said RotomDex.

As soon as the dock disappeared, Ash walked away from the edge and began looking at a map of the Ralia region he bought from the ship's employees. He quickly located Coastport City.

"Hey, RotomDex," said Ash, "what can you tell me about Coastport City?"

"Well," said RotomDex, "I know that is the largest boating harbor in all of Ralia. Boats and ferries from everywhere come to Coastport City to ship goods in and out.

"Coastport City is also the largest city in all of Ralia. It is known for having hundreds of facilities on the same street."

"Sounds really cool," said Ash. "What do you know about Ralia as a whole?"

"There are many different biomes that various types of Pokémon like to live in, like a desert, jungle, mountain range, or even a tundra. They are able to live in balance along the nearby, human-built cities."

"Man, Ralia sounds so cool!" said Ash. "I can't wait to get there!" Suddenly, a sudden gust of wind blew the map out of Ash's hand. He chased after it to grab it from the air, but it landed at the feet of a red-haired lady.

"Sorry, ma'am," Ash said as he picked the map back up. "Wind blew it out of my hands."

"That's quite alright, son," the lady said.

As Ash walked away, he couldn't help but look back at the lady for another second. _She looks really familiar._ Ash thought.

As he began to walk away, the lady and her two friends, lowered the magazines in front of their faces. They grinned evilly and were revealed to be Jessie, James, and Meowth.

* * *

 **Who's that Pokémon?**

 **When this Pokémon evolves, it sheds the steel carapace that covered its whole body and develops a new one.**

* * *

"There it is," said Serena, "Pallet Town." She began walking all the way down the hill and closer to the small town standing in the distance. Eventually, as she finally entered into the town, she felt something wiggling in her bag. Curious, she looked down and opened it up, but was surprised to see a PokéBall in it.

"I don't understand," she said to herself. "I left all my Pokémon with Mom."

She decided to pull it out of her bag and press the button on the front. The ball opened in a white flash, which transformed into her Braixen.

"Braixen, brai!" Braixen called out.

"Braixen!" Serena exclaimed. "What are you doing here? I thought I left you with Mom."

Braixen just smiled smugly as it remembered how, when Serena wasn't looking, Braixen stuck its PokéBall into her bag, then pushed the button to hide inside of it.

Serena sighed and let her head fall to the side. "Great, I can't send you back now, so I guess you'll just have to visit with me."

"Braixen," Braixen nodded, smiling.

Suddenly, Serena noticed three people walking back to the building she knew was Professor Oak's lab. She recognized one of them as Professor Oak himself, another she recognized as Ash's mother, Delia. Smiling, Serena decided to follow them inside.

* * *

"He left?" Serena said, shocked. She had been talking to Delia, Oak, and Tracy for a few minutes now, and was surprised when they told her that Ash was running an errand in the Ralia region.

"We're sorry, Serena," said Delia, "we didn't know you were coming all this way."

"Do you know when he'll be back?" asked Serena.

"Not sure," said Oak.

Serena looked backed at Braixen standing next to her, who looked at her with a determined expression and said, "Braixen, braixen."

Serena nodded, gaining her own face of determination. "You're right, we've come this far." She turned back to Oak, Delia, and Tracy. "Do you know when the next boat to Ralia is leaving?"

* * *

"Here we are!" said Ash. "Coastport City!"

Coastport City was large, to say the least. Multiple, three-story buildings lined up the streets, occasionally interrupted by grocery stores, Pokémon Centers, shopping marts, and restaurants. Right now, Ash, Pikachu, and RotomDex were on their way to the largest building in Coastport City: the sailboat-like building that was actually Professor Acacia's lab.

Upon entering the establishment, the trio found that it was very spacious on the inside, and was very technologically advanced. All over the place, there were scientists carrying various Pokémon around, either studying them or taking care of injured ones. There was a pool for Water Types to swim in, a small garden where some Grass Type Pokémon were resting, and a small, cavern made from plastic rocks where some Rock Types were coming in and out.

"This place is so cool!" Ash gushed. "Hey, RotomDex, what do you know about the kind of work here?"

"Not much, actually," RotomDex admitted. "I only know how to find it."

"Excuse me," said a brown-haired woman wearing glasses approaching them. "Can I help you boys with something?"

"Yeah," said Ash, "We were hoping to speak to Professor Acacia? I have a special delivery for him."

Ash pulled out the case from behind him and opened it to show off the Pokémon eggs inside. The woman peered inside and said, "Ah, so Professor Oak has sent them back, huh? Well, I'm afraid you just missed the Professor. He actually left for his family's new home in Greymill Town. He wanted to help them get settled into their new house."

"Do you know when he'll be back?" said Ash. The woman just shrugged.

Ash kicked the ground. It's too bad. I was kind of hoping for a tour of this lab from him."

"If you'd like, I can show you around," the woman said. "I'm actually the Professor's assistant, Stacey. Here, we examine the diversity of different Types of Pokémon, and study their differing behavior. Would you like to see it?"

Ash looked up and grinned. "Sure!"

* * *

Ash, Pikachu, and RotomDex were now wandering the darkened streets. "Well, that lab was really cool to see," Ash said, "but we better find our way to Greymill Town. We need to get these eggs to the Professor soon."

"Allow me," said RotomDex. A map pulled up on his screen, and he began calculating the fastest route to Greymill Town. "According to my calculations," he said, "The fastest route recommends that we walk a four day trail."

"Four days?!" Ash exclaimed. "We'll never catch the Professor in time."

"Hey, you!" called a nearby voice. Ash, Pikachu, and RotomDex turned their heads to notice a purple-haired young man in a purple vest. "I haven't seen you around here before," he said. "Are you new in town?"

"Well, not really," Ash said. "I'm just here on an errand. I'm Ash, this is Pikachu, and this is RotomDex."

"Greetings!" said RotomDex.

"Pikachu!" greeted Pikachu.

"Pleasure to meet you," said the man. "I'm sure you've heard of me though!"

Ash tilted his head. "No, I'm sorry," he said. "I've never seen you before."

The man looked shocked. "My name is Vernon. Only four years ago, I was the most popular movie star in all of Ralia!"

"Nope, still nothing," said RotomDex.

Vernon groaned. "So what're _you_ doing here?" asked Ash.

"Admittedly, I've been looking for a new acting gig," Vernon sighed, "but I guess no one wants to hire me anymore."

"Really? I'm sorry, Vernon," said Ash. Suddenly, Ash's eyes noticed a PokéBall on Vernon's belt. "Hey, are you a Pokémon trainer?"

Vernon grinned. "You could say that."

"I'd really like to see the kind of Pokémon Ralia has to offer. How about a battle?" Ash offered.

"Pikachu!" Pikachu said with determination.

Vernon grinned again. "Very well."

* * *

Later, Ash and Vernon were standing on opposite ends of a parking lot. "Pikachu, I choose you!" Ash declared.

"Pika!" Pikachu rejoiced as it jumped off of Ash's shoulder to face Vernon on the other side of the battlefield.

"Then my Pokémon will be this," said Vernon. He pulled off the PokéBall on his belt and threw it in the air. It opened and released a flash of white light which transformed into a Pokémon. It was colored purple, seemed to be made entirely of gelatin, was shaped like a small battery, and had tentacles shaped like electric cables.

"What is that Pokémon?" Ash asked. RotomDex scanned the Pokémon and revealed a 3D, rotating, holographic image of the Pokémon in front of it.

"Floattery, the Shock Pokémon. An Electric and Poison Type. Floatterys had no biological brains, and mostly just float aimlessly around in the ocean water. However, they are capable of acting on their own, and wrap their electric tentacles around their prey or attackers to deliver a jolt that later leaves them in a poisoned state. Evolves into Jelloater at Level 25."

"I've never seen an Electric and Poison Type before," Ash said.

"Well, Ralia is a great place for Pokémon biodiversity," Vernon said. "Now then, shall we begin?"

"Of course!" said Ash.

 **BATTLE BEGIN!**

"Pikachu, use Quick Attack!" Ash commanded.

"Pikachu!" Pikachu shouted as it agilely ran at Floattery, outlined in white.

"Dodge it, Floattery," Vernon said. Floattery stayed in place for a second, but once Pikachu was close, it floated up into the air.

"Now use Acid!"

Floattery aimed one of its tentacles and spewing violet liquid in Pikachu's direction. Unfortunately, Pikachu turned around too late and was blasted by the poison.

"Shake it off, Pikachu!" Ash said. "Use Iron Tail!"

Pikachu leaped into the air as its tail turned metallic silver, and it poised to strike its opponent before…

"Use Acid Armor!" called Vernon.

"Floattery!" Floattery called out as its body turned to a watery-like state, allowing Pikachu's tail to phase right through it.

"Now use Wrap!" said Vernon.

Pikachu cried out as Floattery wrapped its tentacles around Pikachu's body. It squeezed harder, causing Pikachu to feel even more damage being taken.

"Hang in there, Pikachu!" Ash said.

"Now use Thundershock!" said Vernon.

"Float-ter-y!" Floattery called as it lit up Pikachu's body with electricity. However, Ash suddenly got an idea.

"Pikachu, use Iron Tail and stick it into the ground!"

"Pika!" Pikachu said as its tail lit up again and dug its tail into the ground. As a result, the electricity coming from Floattery was dispersed into the ground.

Vernon grinned. "Not bad."

"Now use Volt Tackle!" said Ash.

Pikachu pulled its tail out of the ground, and its entire body lit up with electricity until it was cloaked in one big, yellow arrow. The electricity forced Floattery to release Pikachu as its opponent charged up into the sky and came back down on Floattery's head.

"Floattery…" Floattery muttered, dazed from the impact. "Now use Iron Tail again!" it heard Ash called out. It didn't even have time to recover before Pikachu's metal tail was brought down on its head.

"Your Pikachu's pretty tough, I'll admit," said Vernon. "I've never felt so engaged with a battle."

"Well, your Floattery's pretty good, too," Ash admitted. "You've trained it well."

Vernon grinned again. "Floattery, use Headbutt!"

"Pikachu, use Quick Attack!" said Ash.

Both Pokémon began to perform their respective moves before charging at each other. Suddenly, however, a large net came out from above, wrapping them up and dragging them into the air.

"Pika!"

"Float!"

"Hey, what gives!" said Vernon, looking up with his fists clenched.

"No," said Ash, "it couldn't be!"

"Prepare for trouble, you know well who it is!" said Jessie, making her entrance.

"And make it double, nabbing Pokémon is our show biz!" said James, now showing himself.

"To protect the world from devastation."

"To unite all people within our nation."

"To denounce the evils of truth and love."

"To extend our reach to the stars above."

"Jessie!"

"And James!"

"Team Rocket blasts off at the speed of light!"

"Surrender now or prepare for a fight!"

"Meowth, that's right!" said Meowth jumped in between them.

"Wobbuffet!" called Wobbuffet, peering out from behind Jessie.

"Mime, mime!" said Mime Jr., hopping onto James's head.

* * *

 **It's Aron!**

* * *

"Not you guys again!" groaned Ash.

"Who are they?" asked Vernon, glaring in Team Rocket's direction.

"Team Rocket," said Ash. "They're bad guys who steal other people's Pokémon! And they're always following me everywhere just to nab Pikachu!"

"Ha!" Jessie laughed. "This is about more than just catching Pikachu now."

"Thanks to you, twerp, the three of us have become a laughing stock among Team Rocket," said James.

"We're gonna get even with you for all the times you've made fools out of us if it's the last thing we do!" said Meowth.

Pikachu started using Thunderbolt to try and break the net, but was met with poor results.

"Haven't you learned by now?" said Jessie. "All of our traps for you will be electric-proof."

"Well," said Vernon. "Let's see if it's acid-proof. Floattery, use Acid!"

Floattery began spewing acid from it tentacles again, quickly dissolving the net and setting itself and Pikachu free. Both Pokémon jumped back in front of their trainers, with determined looks.

"You know," said James. "Perhaps we should think about making our traps immune to all Pokémon."

"Doesn't matter," said Jessie, pulling out a PokéBall. "Time for phase two!"

"Right!" James nodded as he pulled out his own PokéBall. "Say, twerp! We have some old friends here that want to reintroduce themselves to you."

Jessie and James threw their PokéBalls, and out came two, familiar-looking Pokémon. Jessie's was a long, purple, snake-like creature with razor-sharp fangs, a short hood along its neck, and black-and-yellow marking on its head. James's Pokémon was a three-headed creature, with one head looking sad, another looking asleep, and the one in the middle looking angry. It was purple and black, and the middle head had two holes on the top of its head emitting gases.

"Napiat!" said Jessie's Pokémon.

"Choaking!" said James's Pokémon.

RotomDex decided to scan these new Pokémon. First scanning Jessie's Pokémon, he said, "Napiat, the Poison Snake Pokémon. A Poison and Dark type. Napiats like to hide in the undergrowth of swampy areas, and ambush prey by injecting them with a dizzying venom. The venom is enough to put even a Wailord out of commission. Evolves from Arbok when traded with holding a Poison Barb."

Moving onto James's Pokémon, he said, "Choaking, the Toxic Gas Pokémon. A Poison and Fire Type. Choakings can emit flammable, poisonous gases into the air, then ignite them with fiery emissions. It must live in polluted areas, as it grows stronger the more poisonous air it inhales. Evolves from Weezing when traded while holding a Charcoal."

"They evolve from Arbok and Weezing?" said Ash. "Does that mean…"

"That's right, twerp!" said Jessie. "These are the same Arbok and Weezing from years ago!"

"Interestingly enough," said James, "some other Team Rocket operatives found them on a mission and brought them back to us."

"Then they evolved when these two accidentally dropped them into a trading machine shortly after recapturing them," Meowth groaned.

"Oh, hush!" said Jessie. "Napiat, use Venoshock!"

"And Choaking," said James, "use Sludge Bomb!"

Team Rocket's Pokémon prepared to use their respective moves and aimed them towards Pikachu and Floattery.

"Dodge it!" yelled Ash and Vernon simultaneously. Pikachu and Floattery jumped out of the way of the attacks and were then commanded to use Iron Tail and Thundershock. Pikachu brought its metallic tail down on Choaking's head, and Floattery zapped Napiat with its electricity.

"Now use Electro Ball!" Ash commanded.

"Use Headbutt!" said Vernon.

The end of Pikachu's tail glowed as it formed a ball of electricity, which it flung at Napait's head. Floattery slammed its head into Choaking, knocking it back.

"Yes!" Ash and Vernon said.

"We're not finished yet!" said James. "Choaking, use Smog!"

"Choa-king!" cried out Choaking, who spewed black smog from the holes on its head, blinding Pikachu and Floattery.

"Now Napiat, use Constrict!" Jessie said.

Once the smog cleared, Ash and Vernon could see that Napiat had wrapped its long body around their Pokémon, and had its tails dug into the ground. Ash growled believing that Team Rocket had witnessed his and Vernon's battle and stole his strategy.

"It's over now!" said Jessie. "Napiat, use Poison Fang!"

"Napiat!" said Napiat, whose fangs glowed purple as it inched closer to the helpless Pokémon in its grip. Suddenly, however, a torrent of flames scorched its face, causing it to wail in pain and drop Pikachu and Floattery.

Everyone looked to the side in confusion, but Ash was shocked to see Serena standing a few feet away from them, with Braixen standing in front of them, holding out a smoking stick.

"Serena?" Ash said.

"Isn't that the twerpette from Kalos?" said James.

"What is she doing here?" questioned Meowth.

Serena and Braixen walked up to join Ash and Vernon, and Serena said, "These guys are still giving you trouble, Ash? Then let's take 'em out together!"

Ash grinned and nodded before saying, "Right." He turned to Pikachu before saying "Pikachu use Thunderbolt!"

"Braixen, use Fire Blast!" said Serena.

"Floattery, you use Acid!" said Vernon.

The three Pokémon charged up their attacks before launching them in Napiat and Choaking's direction. The force was so great, it launched the Pokémon back into Jessie, James, Meowth, Wobbuffet, and Mime Jr., launching them all back into the sky.

"Well," groaned Meowth, "feels good to be back it the old routine again."

"I don't even care about getting blasted off," said Jessie, who was hugging her Pokémon, "as long as I'm reunited with my beloved Napiat!"

"Wobbuffet!" Wobbuffet agreed.

"And I'm glad it have you by my side again, Choaking!" James declared, also embracing his Pokémon.

"Mime, mime!" Mime Jr came up beside them.

"WE'RE BLASTING OFF AGAIN!" they all said.

* * *

"We did it!" cheered Vernon. He turned to Serena. "All thanks to you!"

"I can't believe you're here, Serena!" Ash said.

Serena grinned. "Surprise!" she said.

 _Looks like Serena has finally found Ash again! But how will this affect Ash's little errand? And have we seen the last of Team Rocket? There's more to come…_

The camera panned over to the case Ash was carrying, as all three of the eggs started to glow.

 _...as the journey continues!_

* * *

 **Do you know what country Ralia is based on yet? Think about the Professor's lab, how it looks like a sailboat. Does it remind you of anything? Well, I'll tell you soon, but for now, please review, and tell me about how you think I can make this story better.**


	3. Humble Beginnings!

**Welcome back! Sorry, I took so long, it was the holidays. No one's guessed what country Ralia is based on yet, but I'll let you keep trying. Also, responding to one of my reviewers, I'm afraid Z-Moves are taking a backseat for now. In case you forget, Ash is only in Ralia on an errand, and likely had no need to bring his Z-Ring. I'll probably bring Z-Moves back later in this story, just not right now. In the fake games I imagined, Z-Moves would be more like something you unlock after the main game.**

* * *

 _Still struggling to make his delivery, Ash has made friends with a fellow Pokémon trainer, Vernon, and has just been reunited with his old friend, Serena._

"I can believe you're here, Serena!" Ash said.

Serena grinned. "Surprise!" she said.

"Do you know this girl?" Vernon asked.

"Yeah, we met when we were just kids," explained Ash. "Then later, we met up again and she traveled through the Kalos region."

Ash gestured towards Vernon and said, "Serena, this is Vernon. Vernon, Serena."

Vernon shook Serena's hand. "Nice to meet you, Serena. Though, I'm sure you're in awe to be in the presence of a brilliant movie actor like myself."

Serena cocked her head. "You're an actor? Sorry, but I don't recognize you."

Vernon looked shocked. "Again?" he said. "Why does no one appreciate the classics?!"

"So you are Serena?" RotomDex asked, approaching.

"Um, yes," said Serena. "Who are you?"

"I'm Ash's personal assistant, the Rotom PokéDex," RotomDex explained. "But you can call me RotomDex for short."

"RotomDex here is a Rotom inside a PokéDex," Ash explained. "He's really handy at identifying Pokémon, taking pictures, pulling up maps, and so much more!"

"Ash told me all about you, Serena!" RotomDex said.

"Really?" said Serena, slowly blushing. "Well, he's always been a close friend."

"So, Serena, what bring you here all the way to the Ralia region?" asked Ash.

"Oh, um," Serena started, "the thing is, I was on my way to Pallet Town to visit you! But then your mom and Professor Oak told me about your errand, so I decided to come find you."

"Is that so?" said Ash before smiling. "Well, It's great to see you again!"

RotomDex suddenly flew in between the two of them to say to Ash, "Excuse me Ash, but we still have an errand to run, remember?"

"Oh, right!" said Ash, running back to the bench he'd left the eggs on. He picked up the suitcase and brought it over to Vernon and Serena. "The thing is, guys," he said, "I've gotta deliver this case to Professor Acacia. He-"

"Needs some Pokémon eggs delivered back to him?" Serena finished. "I know, Professor Oak told me all about it."

Ash nodded. "Yeah, i guess their starter Pokémon eggs. He plans on giving them to some kids he knows. Anyway, I tried to find him in his lab today, but his assistant, Stacey, told me he went to his family's home in Greymill Town."

"Greymill Town?' said Vernon.

"Yep," said Ash. Suddenly, the eggs began to glow again, blinding Ash and almost making him drop the case. "Ah man," he said. "I've gotta get these eggs to the Professor before they hatch! But the fastest route to Greymill Town is four days long!"

"Not necessarily," said Vernon. "I happen to know a shortcut to Greymill Town! I can show you the way if you want."

Ash smiled. "That's great! Thanks, Vernon!" He turned to Serena. "Are you coming, too, Serena?"

Serena smiled. "Hey, I came this far!"

* * *

As everyone was being guided by Vernon down a forested path, they eventually came upon a quaint, little town perched on a large cliff. Beneath that cliff was a beach where tourists were playing on the sand and in the water. The town itself was made up of about sixteen houses. Around it were open spaces with fields nearby that were actually wind farms, with giant windmills spinning to produce energy. Near the front of the town was a Pokémon Center and Pokémon Mart, and some residents were bustling in and out of it.

"Welcome to Greymill Town, guys!" Vernon said. "Sure beat walking the long way around, for sure!"

"That didn't take long at all!" said RotomDex as it pressed the button on its body. "Map updated."

"Okay," said Ash, I think I remember the address Stacey gave me. C'mon guys!"

* * *

 **Who's that Pokémon?**

 **Born in an active volcano, its body is always coated in flames, so it looks like a big ball of fire.**

* * *

"C'mon, Brett!" called a short, young, blonde kid from down a staircase. "Don't you want to come out and meet the new neighbors!"

From down the stairs came a tall, brown-haired young man who said, "I don't know, Chris. I'm kinda nervous."

"What's to be nervous about, Brett?" said Chris. "We're going to give our very first impression on this community!"

"That's what I'm nervous about," said Brett. "I'm just worried about what everyone's gonna think of me. I didn't fit in in our old town, so why is this place better?"

"You never know, sweetie," said a blonde-haired woman coming into the room. "Your father promised me that the people around here are some of the sweetest people you'll ever meet."

"Thanks, Mom," said Brett, still refusing to smile.

The doorbell suddenly rang, and the mother said, "I bet that's one of the neighbors coming over to introduce themselves right now!"

She walked over to the door and opened it to see red-haired young girl standing in the doorway, who was holding a pan of lasagna.

"Hi, I'm Eva!" she introduced herself. "Me and my family wanted to welcome you to town, but my folks couldn't make it. So, on behalf of them, I brought you a lasagna!"

"Well, that's very kind of you!" said the mother. "My name is Tiffany Acacia, please come inside."

Tiffany ushered Eva inside and Eva sat the lasagna down on the table. At that moment, Chris approached them and said, "Are you a new neighbor?"

"Yep," said Eva. "I'm Eva! And you are?"

"This is my son, Chris," Tiffany explained. "My other son, Brett should be out soon."

"Mom?" came Brett's voice. "Who is it?"

Brett walked into the kitchen and laid his eyes on his new neighbor. The two couldn't help but stare at each other when their eyes met. For some reason, they felt happier when they saw each other. It took Tiffany talking to snap them both out of their daze.

"Brett, this is Eva," she said. "Eva, this my son, Brett."

Eva walked over to Brett and gently shook his hand. "H-hi,"she said.

"Uh, nice to meet you," said Brett.

"Well, then," said Tiffany, "why don't you boys take Eva into the living room and get to know each other? I'll prepare this lasagna."

"Okay," said Chris, grabbing his brother's arm. "Let's go!"

Eva was sitting on one chair while Brett and Chris sat across from her on a couch. "So I hear that the two of you are the kids of Professor Steven Acacia?" asked Eva.

"Yeah," said Chris. "He moved us all to the Ralia region so that he didn't have to spend so much time commuting to work."

"So, what's he like?" asked Eva. "I'd love to know the guy personally, I'm a big fan of his work."

"He's a smart guy, I guess," said Brett. "A bit eccentric and over-enthusiastic, though."

"You know, when I was growing up," said Chris, "I always wanted to be just like him. He was always exploring the world to see all kinds of different Pokémon and learn all about them. I want to be able to do that."

"I can relate," said Eva. "All my life, my parents never let me leave Greymill Town on my own. I've lived here all my life, but I've never even seen the wind farms. But one day…" Eva gazed up at the ceiling. "...I'm gonna see the world."

"It's a big world out there," Brett said. "It's actually kinda scary to think about."

Suddenly, the kids could hear the doorbell ringing again. "Must be another neighbor," said Tiffany from the other room. "I'll get it."

Tiffany opened the door to find three new people on her doorstep. One was a raven-haired boy with a Pikachu on his shoulder, another was a honey-haired girl in a blue hat, and the third was a purple-haired man with a purple jacket.

"Excuse me," said the boy, "but is this the home of Professor Acacia?"

"Yes," said Tiffany, "but he's not home at the moment."

"What!?" said the boy. " We missed him again!? We're never gonna get these eggs to him."

"Wait," said Tiffany, "did you say eggs? Can I see them?"

The boy seemed reluctant at first, but then pulled out the suitcase from behind his back and opened them to show off the eggs. Tiffany studied them and said, "Yes, my husband told me about these. I'm Tiffany, Professor Acacia's wife. Why don't you folks come in?"

The people outside glanced at each other before shrugging and coming inside. Arriving in the kitchen, they were met by Brett, Chris, and Eva.

"Who are these people, Mom?" asked Chris.

"I'm sorry, I didn't catch your names?" said Tiffany to the new visitors.

"I'm Ash, and this is Pikachu," said the boy.

"Pikachu!" Pikachu introduced himself.

"I'm Serena," said the girl.

"And my name is Vernon," said the purple man.

"And I am RotomDex," said a suddenly-appearing, floating device with a Pokémon face.

"Whoa!" gushed Chris. "Is that a Rotom _inside_ a Pokédex! It looks just like my dad's Pokédex! Let me see!"

Chris tried to grab RotomDex out of the air, but RotomDex flew out of his grasp and said, "Watch the merchandise!"

"These are my sons, Brett and Chris," said Tiffany. "And this is our next door neighbor, Eva."

"Hi!" Eva brightly greeted.

"H-hi," stuttered Brett.

"What's up?" said Chris.

"Great to meet you all," said Vernon as he sat down.

"So, are you guys more neighbors?" asked Brett.

"Uh, not exactly," said Ash. "We came here to deliver something to Professor Acacia. He's your dad, right?"

"Yep," said Chris.

"Here," said Tiffany, setting out plates of Eva's lasagna out in front of everyone. "We can discuss more over lunch."

"Great!" said Ash. "I'm starving!"

Serena rolled her eyes, smiling. "Same old Ash," she said.

After everyone had finished, Eva summarized all that these new visitors had told her. "So, you guys were told by Professor Oak that Professor Acacia wanted these eggs so he could deliver them to some kids he knows?"

"That's what he said," said Ash.

"Well, who are those kids?" asked Chris.

"It's the three of you!" said Tiffany suddenly, causing everyone to react with surprise.

"Wait," said Brett, "you mean me, Chris, and Eva?"

"Yep, said Tiffany. "This was all part of a big plan of your father's."

"What big plan?" said Eva.

Suddenly, the three eggs in the suitcase began to glow brighter than ever before. Everyone shielded their eyes as Ash said, "They're hatching!"

"Set them on the floor, quick!" said Tiffany.

Ash and Serena quickly grabbed the ends of the suitcase and put it down on the floor. The glowing became even brighter, until finally, it dimmed down, and when everyone opened their eyes again, there were three new Pokémon on the floor. One was green, looked like a koala, had sharp claws, leaves around its neck, leaf-shaped ears, and a bush or a tail. The next was an armadillo-like Pokémon with a red, scaly back, big eyes, a small flame on the end of its tail, and a long snout. The final Pokémon resembled a platypus, with a blue body, dark blue scales on it tail, a duckbill, and clawed webbed feet.

* * *

 **It's Magmar!**

* * *

"Are those… Pokémon?" asked Brett.

"Allow me," said RotomDex, who went to work on scanning these new Pokémon. Starting on the green Pokémon, he said, "Koaleaf. The Leaf Pokémon. A Grass Type. Koaleafs prefer to sleep the day away in lush trees and eat leaves that are grown on them in order to conserve their energy. However, whenever they are threatened, they ferociously attack with their sharp teeth and claws. Evolves into Eucawala at level 16 and into Bearitree at level 36."

Moving on to the red Pokémon, he said, "Charmor. The Armor Pokémon. A Fire Type. Charmors curl into balls to use their scaly armor to protect themselves when attacked. Underneath these scales lie intense flames, which can burn at 300 degrees Fahrenheit. It sometimes spews these flames out from under these scales as a warning display. Evolves into Shellbur at level 16 and into Charmadillo at level 36."

Scanning the blue Pokémon, he said. "Platide. The Platypus Pokémon. A Water Type. Platides can use their webbed feet to swim at speeds of up to 30 miles per hour. They can resist even the strongest of currents, and slap their tails on the top of water to frighten off enemies. The tail in incredibly tough, and can be used to adjust to a sudden current. Evolves into Gnarlipus at level 16 and into Tsunamotrome at level 36."

"Are these starter Pokémon?" said Eva.

"Exactly," said Tiffany. "In fact, before he left, your father told me that each of you must pick one of these Pokémon, because he has a challenge for you. He wants you to use these Pokémon to make your way to his lab in Brightmere Town."

"He has a lab in Brightmere Town?" said Ash. "What about the one in Coastport City?"

"That's for his more expensive research," Tiffany explained. "But he bought another lab in Brightmere Town to use when he wanted to conduct research for his own pleasures. My husband likes to do a lot of field work, and does it by visiting the most remote places in the Ralia region, even out here."

"We each get to choose a Pokémon!" Eva said, excitement oozing from her voice. "I've always wanted my own Pokémon! Ooh, I want Charmor! It's so cute!" She quickly picked up her chosen Pokémon and held it in her arms, as Charmor suddenly said, "Charmor," sighing satisfiedly.

"Then I want Platide," said Chris. "I think he's cool-looking." He picked up the Platypus Pokémon as it smiled and said, "Platide!"

Brett knelt down to the last Pokémon on the floor, Koaleaf, and slowly reached out to pet it. As he did, Koaleaf grinned and said, "Koaleaf."

Slowly, Brett began to smile and say, "You're not so bad. I think I like you."

Ash and Pikachu grinned as they saw the three kids choosing their first Pokémon. One look at each other, and they could tell that they were both thinking back to the day they first became partners.

"So, Dad wants us to head for his lab in Brightmere Town?" said Chris. "Then let's get going!"

"Uh, give me a minute," said Eva. "I better talk to my parents about this." She quickly went out of the house to find her parents.

"Do you think she'll get to join us?" Brett whispered to his brother. "She _did_ say that her parents never let her go anywhere."

"By herself," Chris pointed out. "But this time, she won't be alone, she'll be with us."

"Hey," said Ash, "you guys want us to come, too?"

"I'd like to meet the Professor myself," said Serena.

"Me, too," said Vernon.

"I'm sure we can be of assistance along the way," said RotomDex.

"Sure, the more, the merrier," said Chris.

"If you say so," said Brett. He decided to try picking up the Pokémon he selected off the ground, but Koaleaf suddenly scratched at his arm, not wanting to be held.

"Okay, not a fan of being picked up, noted," said Brett.

 _Looks like Brett, Chris, and Eva have a nice challenge ahead of them, but as long as Ash, Serena, and Vernon have their backs, nothing can go wrong, right? More to come, as the journey continues!_

 **TO BE CONTINUED…**

* * *

 **You know, this story is not moving as quickly as I intended. Guess I should've expected that writing a fanfiction would be this hard. Still, it'll be worth the wait. And next time, we'll finally get to meet Professor Acacia! Stay tuned, please review!**


	4. The First Test

Episode 4: The First Test!

 _After arriving at the residence of Professor Acacia, the eggs that Ash was carrying have hatched, revealing a Koaleaf, Charmor, and Platide, three starter Pok_ _émon that the Professor wanted to be handed off to his two sons, Brett and Chris, and his new neighbor, Eva. Now these three kids are being given a challenge by the Professor: use these Pokémon to navigate their way to the Professor's lab in Brightmere Town. But as long as they have Ash, Pikachu, Serena, Vernon, and RotomDex by their side, what could go wrong?_

* * *

 _In Coastport City:_

"So let me get this straight," said Giovanni, facing Jessie, James, and Meowth through the videophone, "the three of you went AWOL to investigate a new region you heard that Professor Oak talk about?"

"You bet!" said Jessie. "And from the looks of it, Ralia is ripe for the taking!"

"There's so many Pokémon here in Coastport City alone!" James explained. "And in Professor Acacia's lab, I see plenty of notes worth of research on the Pokémon of this region to give us our head start!"

"We have a plan!" said Meowth. "If we catch enough Pokémon, we can through everything in the region of balance! The people in this region are so dependant on their Pokémon partners, developing their relationships with both tamed and wild Pokémon, losing them will cause them to fall into disarray."

Giovanni put his finger to his chin. "I suppose that work," he said. "Then you'd be able to ransom those Pokémon off, _and_ keep the ones we could use for our own missions."

"Precisely!" said Jessie.

Giovanni grinned. "Very well. You three are now in charge of our operations in the Ralia region. But don't you disappoint me this time."

"We won't let you down, boss!" James said as he hung up the call. He turned to Jessie and Meowth and said, "The twerps and Pikachu will have to wait. Right now we have a lab to rob."

"Right!" said Jessie and Meowth.

* * *

"Good luck, kids!" said Tiffany as she ushered them out the door. "Tell your father I said hello!"

"Can do, Mom!" Chris called back.

"This is so exciting!" said Eva. "I can't believe I'm finally going to me _the_ Professor Acacia!"

"Hey, Eva," said Serena, "are you sure your parents are OK with this?"

"Huh?" said Eva before she suddenly looked anxious. "O-of course they are! I mean, I'm only traveling one Route, right?"

"Eva, you told us your parents wouldn't even let you visit the wind farms," Brett pointed out. "Why the sudden change of heart?"

"Well, they were, um, in a good mood today, so they, uh…" Eva tried to explain. But when everyone started giving her weird looks, she hung her head, sighed and said, "Okay, confession time. My parents don't really know where I'm going."

"WHAT!?" everyone shouted.

"I knew they'd never let me leave town on my own," said Eva, "so I may have told them, the three of us were just hanging out at your place for the day?"

"Eva," said Vernon, "you shouldn't lie to your parents."

"I know," said Eva, "but this could be my one chance to finally see what's outside Greymill Town. I just wanted to have an adventure, even if it was only for a moment."

"Eva..." Vernon said again.

"Please don't tell them!" Eva said. "This challenge probably won't take very long anyway! What's the worst that could happen?"

Ash looked at this young girl, and he could sense something in her eyes. He saw how determined she was, to get out of Greymill Town and have an adventure. He remembered having that same determination when he first left on his Pokémon journey.

"She's right," he said. When everyone gave him shocked looks, he simply said, "I mean, I don't agree with her lying to her parents, but she deserves to enjoy herself for once. I remember how bored it got being cooped up in Pallet Town. You only live once, so I say we let Eva have this."

Serena and Vernon looked skeptical, but they nodded their heads as Vernon said, "You're right! Let's get going!"

* * *

 **Who's that Pokémon?**

 **Its appearance changes with the weather. Recently, its molecules were found to be just like water.**

* * *

CRASH!

"Who goes there!?" said Stacey, angered when she heard the ruckus from the top floor. She and more of the lab workers raced up the stairs and were shocked to see Jessie, James, Meowth, Wobbuffet, Mime Jr., Napiat, and Choaking standing in front of broken window.

"Prepare for trouble!" said Jessie.

"And make it double!" said James.

"To protect the world from devastation!"

"To unite all people within our nation!"

"To denounce the evils of truth and love!"

"To extend our reach to the stars above!"

"Jessie!"

"And James!"

"Team Rocket blasts off at the speed of light!"

"Surrender now or prepare to fight!"

"Meowth, that's right!"

"Wobbuffet!"

"Mime, mime!"

"Who are you people?" asked Stacey.

"We are Team Rocket!" said Jessie. "Weren't you listening?"

"We came here for all your research on Pokémon!" said James.

"What could you possibly want with our research?" said Stacey.

"No questions!" said Meowth. "Just hand it over!"

"Not a chance!" said Stacey, as she began to be surrounded by some of the lab's security officers, who slapped their batons in their palms.

"Choaking, use Smog!" said James.

"Choa-king!" Choaking cried out as it spewed purple gas everywhere. Stacey and the security officers coughed and tried to fan it away with their hands. Once the Smog cleared, they could see that Team Rocket had disappeared.

"Find them!" said Stacey. "Search everywhere!" The security officers nodded and split up to look for the thieves. Stacey picked up one of Professor Acacia's Pokédexes, dialed in a number, and said into it, "Officer Jenny, we have a situation!"

* * *

 _Route One:_

Ash, Pikachu, Serena, Vernon, RotomDex, Chris, Eva, and Brett were all making their way through Route 1, which was proving to be rather uneventful. The sun was shining brightly in the sky, and and all was quiet.

Chris and Eva were carrying their respective Pokémon in their arms, but Brett was only letting Koaleaf walk by his feet. Ash noticed this and decided to ask him why.

"He just doesn't like it when I pick him up," Brett explained. "Guess he doesn't trust me yet."

Suddenly, bushes began to rustle. Everyone turned their heads to witness a Pokémon emerging from the foliage. It was small, brown, furry, had sharp claws, and was sniffing the ground for some food.

"Who's that Pokémon?" asked Ash.

RotomDex scanned it and said, "Wombite. The Digging Pokémon. A Normal Type. Wombite use their sharp claws to dig into the ground, looking for small invertebrates to eat. They sometimes live in colonies, and will leave searching for food to one Wombite while the others get some rest. Evolves into Womburrow at level 17."

"It's so cute!" said Eva, unable to resist running up to it. The Wombite, however, ran back into the grass as it saw Eva running towards it.

Eva began to peek into the other side of the foliage, and called out, "Hey guys, look at this!" Everyone joined her to see a Pidove and a Starly sitting in a tree, singing to each other. They could also see the Wombite looking for food inside a tree, and saw a Vivillon flapping its wings through the trees.

"Pokémon are so pretty!" Eva said.

"And to think, there's so much more in the outside world to see!" said Chris.

"You sure seem excited to be out here and see all this, huh?" Brett said to Eva.

"I've always wanted to see the world of Pokémon for myself," explained Eva.

"Well, I've always been nervous about the outside world," Brett admitted.

"Why?" asked Eva.

"You never know what to expect, what you're gonna see, or what's gonna happen to you," said Brett.

"That's the best part!" Eva said. "There's always a new surprise in store."

The group began to walk away again, and Brett walked up to Eva, and awkwardly asked, "You mind if we walk together?"

Eva smiled. "Not at all."

Serena was smiling to herself as she saw Brett attempting to make a friend. She couldn't help but look over to Ash, still wondering if was thinking about their last encounter.

Unknown to everyone, they were being watched.

Two men dressed in black tuxedos, shades over their eyes, and top hats that had a symbol of a pair of shades in the shape of an S, peeked out from behind the trees.

"So those are the kids the Professor decided to hand some Pokémon over to, huh?" said one of them.

"He has no idea what he's done," said the other. "Look at the Koaleaf. Anxious to scratch that boy."

"Do they really expect such powerful creatures to just obey their every command?"

"Not if we can help it."

"Remember the plan, boys," said a young man approaching. He was wearing a wire to his ear, and his suit alternated between black and grey. "We need to separate those kids from those other trainers. You guys grab the kids' Pokémon, I'll take the others."

The other men grinned. "You bet," one said. "They will know the name, Team Shade."

* * *

 **It's Castform!**

* * *

"Look around!" said Jessie as she, James, and Meowth scanned the computer lab. Those notes have got to be around here somewhere."

"Check out this nifty phone!" Meowth said, holding up one of Professor Acacia's Pokédexes. "And there's a game on it that lets you take your picture and use yourself as the avatar!"

Jessie pulled the Pokédex out of his hand and said, "Focus!"

"I found something!" said James. He held out a notebook belonging to the Professor. "According to this, that phone is actually this Professor version of the Pokédex."

"Do we steal it?" asked Jessie.

"No, it's just a prototype," explained James. "But I did find a deck of cards with their Pokémon research on the table.

He showed Jessie a full deck of cards, each with a picture of a Pokémon on it with data on that Pokémon underneath. "Perfect!" said Jessie. "Then let's get out of here."

"Hold it!" came a female voice from behind them. Team Rocket turned their heads to see Officer Jenny confronting them with a Pokémon by her side. This Pokémon was shaggy with gray fur, but with a white face, a wolf-like appearance, and small icicles coming out of its back.

"That's a new Pokémon," Meowth pointed out.

James quickly pulled a card out of the deck that had the Pokémon's picture on it and said, "It's called a Wolfang."

"I'm ordering you three to surrender now, or I will have to use force," said Officer Jenny.

"We're not afraid of you!" said Jessie. "Napiat, use Venoshock!"

"Choaking, use Sludge Bomb!" said James.

Napiat and Choaking geared up to use their respective moves, but Jenny yelled out, "Wolfang use Ice Barrier!"

"Wol-fang!" yelled out the Wolfang, who created a shield around itself and Jenny made entirely of ice. The Poison-Type attacks simply bounced off the barrier, and Jenny then ordered Wolfang to use, "Ice Beam!"

"Wolfang!" it cried out, unleashing a beam of icy energy in Napiat and Choaking's direction. It knocked them back into their trainers.

"Finish it with Dark Pulse!" commanded Jenny. Wolfang prepared to fire dark energy from its mouth, until Team Rocket decided to run for the nearby open window. The Dark Pulse suddenly made contact, blowing them into the sky.

"WE'RE BLASTING OFF AGAIN!"

* * *

"Well, guys, we're almost there!" Vernon cheerfully pointed out. By now they could easily see the new town in the horizon.

"I can't wait!" said Eva.

At that moment, Serena decided to walk up to Ash and say, "Hey Ash, there's something I've been meaning to ask you."

"Yeah?" said Ash.

"Do you remember what I did the last time we saw each other?" said Serena.

Ash suddenly paused at hearing that. "Yeah, I remember," he said. "But Serena, I actually have something to say to you about it."

Serena perked up, forcing herself not to smile. "Yeah?"

"Well-" Ash started, but suddenly he was interrupted by a sudden explosion.

"What the?" said Chris. The area began to file with smoke, and Brett, Chris, and Eva started coughing, trying to see what was happening. When the smoke finally cleared, they were shocked to see that Ash, Serena, Pikachu, and Vernon had disappeared.

"Guys?" Brett asked. "Where are you?"

"Don't worry, they're fine," came a voice. "We need to have a word with you three."  
The three kids turned around to face three men in black suits and top hats. "Who are you guys?" asked Eva.

"We are Team Shade," said one of the men. "And you kids are carrying dangerous cargo."

"What?" asked Brett.

"Those Pokémon, of course," said the man.

The kids looked down at the Pokémon at their feet, who looked as confused as they were.

"How are they 'dangerous cargo'?" asked Chris.

"Do you kids not comprehend what a Pokémon is?" said one of the men. "They are dangerous creatures. They have the power to turn nature into a formidable weapon, and have the powers necessary to do things humans have only dreamed of. You are not safe in their presence."

Chris narrowed his eyes. "What's your point?"

"Surrender those Pokémon to us, and you can go home," said another man.

"I don't think so!" said Eva. "You leave these poor Pokémon alone!"

"Guess we'll have to do this the hard way," said one of the men. They pulled out Pokéballs and sent out three Pokémon, a Murkrow, a Venomoth, and a Sentret.

"We're gonna have to fight them!" said Chris with resolve. Eva nodded in agreement, but Brett looked apprehensive.

"Sentret, use Quick Attack!"

"Murkrow, use Wing Attack!"

"Venomoth, use Poison Sting!"

As Team Shade's Pokémon geared up to use their attacks, Charmor and Platide jumped in front of their respective friends preparing to fight.

"What moves do they know?" asked Eva.

"Platide, use Water Gun!" commanded Chris.

"Um, Charmor use Ember?" Eva guessed.

Charmor began to spew sparks of fire from its mouth, while Platide shot a torrent for water from its mouth. The attacks knocked Murkrow and Sentret back but, Venomoth's Poison Sting attack kept going. Eva and Chris noticed that Koaleaf was somehow sleeping in from of Brett, and that Brett was looking too afraid to do anything.

"Brett, Koaleaf!" said Eva. "Look out!"

Koaleaf woke up too late to see a Poison Sting attack pummeling its face. "Koaleaf, no!" said Brett. He didn't know what to do. He hated this situation. He froze up. But his friends were counting on him. Koaleaf was counting on him.

He saw Venomoth about to use another Poison Sting attack, but he quickly stood in front of Koaleaf. "No!" he said. "You can't hurt him!" Venomoth launched the attack anyway, but Brett covered up Koaleaf with his arms, taking the brunt of the attack.

"Koaleaf," said Koaleaf, looking in amazement at Brett's face.

"Koaleaf, I know you don't trust me much, But I want to help you," said Brett. "Let's do this together."

Koaleaf gained a look of determination on its face and nodded. "Koaleaf."

Brett stood up and said, "Our turn. Use Razor Leaf!"

"Koa-leaf!" said Koaleaf, unleashing a swarm of razor-sharp leaves from its neck. The leaves quickly beat Venomoth backwards.

"Nice one, guys" said Eva. Brett turned to see her and his brother smiling at him, causing Brett to feel a surge of confidence enter his body.

"C'mon, guys," he said, "let's finish this!"

* * *

"Guys, what's going on?"

Ash, Pikachu, Vernon, and Serena were being lifted through the air, surrounded by a blue aura. All were struggling to get free, but they were levitated towards a clearing. At that moment, a Pokémon appeared in front of them. It looked like a Beheeyem, but its head was flattened, it was colored green, had three, bulging eyes, and had red, blue, green, and yellow lights on its fingers.

"What is that?" said Serena.

The Pokémon flew closer to Ash, its multicolored fingers starting to flash. Ash kept trying to look away, saying, "Leave us alone!"

"Pikachu!" said Pikachu, suddenly unleashing a Thunderbolt in the Pokémon's direction. When the attack made contact, the Pokémon dropped everyone to the ground.

"What's going on here?" said RotomDex, suddenly approaching the group.

"I don't know," said Ash. "That Pokémon just grabbed us from the others!"

RotomDex scanned the mysterious Pokémon and said, "Eeteeyel, the Extraterrestrial Pokémon. A Psychic Type. Eeteeyels are very rarely seen by human eyes, therefore little is known about them. It is believed them have been encountered more than reported, due to their observed ability to alter memories through Hypnosis. Witnesses claim they come to Earth to gather materials for their own race. Evolves from Beheeyem when exposed to a Moon Stone."

"Did that Eeteeyel catch the others?" asked Serena.

"No," came a voice. "That was us."

The group suddenly witnessed the gray-and-black-suited man approaching them with two other Team Shade grunts.

"Who are you guys?" said Ash.

"We are Team Shade," the suited man explained. "Myself, my name is Darrus."

"What do you want?" said Vernon. "What happened to Brett, Eva, and Chris?"

"They'll be fine, don't worry," said Darrus. "But the three of you need to hand over your Pokémon."

Ash growled. "Not gonna happen!"

"We don't want to hurt you folks," said Darrus, "but those Pokémon do not belong with you. They belong to no one."

One of the grunts behind Darrus scanned Pikachu with his high-tech glasses, and said to Darrus, "That Pikachu is putting off some power! One of the strongest we've seen yet!"

"Strange," said Darrus. "Young man, you're in a lot of danger."

"What, from you?" said Ash.

"No, from your Pokémon," Darrus replied. "That Pikachu may seem cute and cuddly, but its power is too great. You saw what it did to my Eeteeyel. Imagine what it will do to you."

"I don't believe you," said Ash. "Pikachu wouldn't hurt me!"

"We are taking your Pokémon one way or another," said Darrus. "Eeteeyel, you Psybeam!"

"Ee-tee!" said Eeteeyel, charging up a beam of psychic energy with the lights on its fingers.

"Pikachu, use Iron Tail!" said Ash.

"Pikachu!" yelled Pikachu as its tails turned silver and it slammed its tail down on Eeteeyel's head.

"Braixen, use Ember!" said Serena, throwing out her Pokéball.

"Floattery, use Acid!" said Vernon, throwing out his Pokéball.

"Braixen!" "Floattery!" The two Pokémon jumped into the air, using their respective moves on Eeteeyel.

"You're strong, my friends, but you can't win," said Darrus.

"Why not?" said Serena.

"Because I cheat."

At that moment, more and more Team Shade grunts popped out of the shadows, all holding net launchers. The group groaned, knowing they couldn't take these many grunts.

"It's over," said Darrus. "Hand over those Pokémon!"

"Never!" said Vernon.

Suddenly, the sky grew dark. There appeared a looming figure up in the sky. Everyone looked up to it, but couldn't decipher what it was. However, purple glowing emerged from the clouds above, and the silhouette of a giant, purple, spiky Pokémon appeared above them.

"What is that thing?" said one of the grunts.

"I-I don't know," said Darrus.

The figure in the sky then looked at Team Shade with distaste, and made a loud groan. At that moment, four large stones emerged from the ground, each moving towards each other. Everyone shielded their eyes in anticipation.

The four pieces collided with each other, forming one large rock formation, then it exploded. When the dust settled, the grunts were all lying on the ground, their net launchers broken.

Ash, Serena, Vernon, Pikachu, and RotomDex all opened their eyes, and were shocked to see they had been left untouched. Darrus and Eeteeyel, however, quickly rose from the ground, and Darrus yelled, "Use Psybeam!"

"I don't think so!" said Ash. "Use Volt Tackle!"  
"Pika, pika, pika, pika, pika!" said Pikachu as it charged forward, becoming veiled in electricity. Eeteeyel launched its Psybeam attack, but Pikachu collided with it, and after struggling, pushed through to the other side to collide with Eeteeyel. The alien Pokémon flew back into its trainer, who reluctantly recalled it to its Pokéball.

"You win this time, but we'll be back!" said Darrus. "We, Team Shade, will protect all from the viles natures of Pokémon!" C'mon, everyone, fall back!"

The other grunts slowly got to their feet, and followed Darrus off into the distance.

"We did it!" yelled Ash, throwing his arms into the air.

"Pika!" said Pikachu, jumping back on Ash's shoulder.

"I am curious, though," said Vernon. "What was that figure that saved us anyway?"

"I'm more worried about Brett, Chris, and Eva, Vernon," said Serena.

"Oh, right!" said Vernon as he quickly recalled Floattery. "Let's find them!"

* * *

"Use Water Gun!" said Chris.

"Use Ember!" said Eva.

"Use Razor Leaf!" said Brett.

"Platide!" "Charmor!" "Koaleaf!" All three Pokémon launched their attacks in Venomoth, Sentret, and Murkrow's direction, with enough force to knock them back into their trainers.

"Drat!" said one of the grunts. "Those kids are pretty tough for newbies."

"You couldn't take their Pokémon?" said a voice from behind them. Everyone looked to see Darrus standing in the distance. "Never mind, we're retreating now, c'mon!"

The grunt turned back to Brett, Chris, and Eva and said, "Sayonara!" before following Darrus off.

"We did it!" said Eva, jumping up and down.

Brett looked at his Koaleaf, who was grinning brightly at him. At that, Brett felt a grin of his own appearing on his face, slowly growing brighter. "That was kinda awesome! We make a pretty good team."

"Koaleaf," Koaleaf nodded.

"Great, but what about Ash, Serena, and Vernon?" Chris pointed out.

"Hey, guys!" said Ash's voice in the distance. The kids turned their heads to see their friends approaching them.

"Are you guys alright?" Serena asked when they caught up with them.

"Yeah, we're fine." said Brett. "You won't believe this, but we saw a bunch of guys in suits. They called themselves Team Shade, and-"

"We know," said Vernon. "They attacked us, too. They wanted our Pokémon. Said they wanted to protect us?"

"I wonder what that's all about?" said Chris.

"Hey, guys!" said Eva, pointing ahead. "I think I see Brightmere Town up ahead! Let's go!"

* * *

Arriving in Brightmere Town, the group saw that it was relatively bigger than Greymill Town, on the side of a massive lake, where people were running around next to, but also with slightly tall buildings and tents everywhere.

"According to my map," said RotomDex, "the Professor's lab should be in that building over there!"

The group noticed a large building made out of tent flap, but had much noise coming out from inside of it.

The group walked up to the building and walked inside, and they all saw a small zoo of Pokémon living inside. Various Pokémon were being carried in and out, others were playing in a section nearby an open flap, where some wild Pokémon also came in.

"This place looks kinda cool," said Chris. "I wonder if Dad'll give us a tour."

"Sure, how's right now?" came a voice from behind them. Everyone turned around to see a blonde-haired man wearing a denim vest, brown shorts, and work boots. He smiled and waved to them all. "G'day, kids! Bet you were looking for me?"

"Dad!" said Chris and Brett, who quickly gave the man a hug. "Guys, this our father, Professor Steven Acacia!"

"Dile!" came a voice from the floor. Everyone looked down to see a small Sandile walking along the floor. It looked up and smiled when it saw Brett and Chris.

"And this is his pet Sandile, Crocky!' Brett explained.

Acacia picked Crocky up off the floor and said, "Yep, best lab assistant ever! And he doesn't mind when you put him in the field to test his behavior!"

"It's such an honor to finally meet you, sir!" said Eva, excitedly shaking Acacia's hand. "I'm a big fan of your work!"

"So you must be Eva," said Acacia. "I'm glad you could make it." He then turned to face Ash. "And you must be Ash. My uncle Samuel has told me all about you."

"I'm glad I finally found you, Professor," said Ash. "These are my friends, Pikachu, Serena, Vernon, and RotomDex."

"Hello!" Ash's friends chorused.

"Pleasure to meet you all!" said Acacia. He turned back to his sons and Eva before saying, "So I assume you accomplished my challenge for you, eh?"

"Well, yeah," said Brett, "but we still don't understand. What was the point of this challenge?"

"It was a test for you three," Acacia replied simply.

"A test?" said Eva.

"I wanted to see if you three were capable of taking care of yourselves in the outside world, because I have a favor to ask you kids. You know about my research on Pokémon, right?"

Everyone nodded.

"Well, there's only so much my lab friends and I can do on our own. But then I got an idea. What if you three went around the Ralia region and researched Pokémon in the field for me?"

"Us?" asked Eva.

"I always thought it would be a great experience for you kids," Acacia continued. "After all, a Pokémon journey builds character, discipline, and confidence. It helps you grow a little."

He walked up to Eva and said, "Eva, I know that you've always wanted to see the world. I used to chat with your parents before my family moved here. I'm giving you an opportunity to have an adventure, to explore our world, to try things no one's ever tried before!"

He then walked up to Chris. "Chris, my son, you always wanted to follow in your old man's footsteps. You always wanted to increase your own knowledge. You always wanted to study the world up close and personal! So now, I'm letting you do just that!"

Finally, he walked up to Brett and said, "Brett, my boy, you have always been worried about how the world will look at you. But I firmly believe that you're something special. You may not realize it, but you have more power than you realize. I want you to see the world to find yourself, to find who you are meant to be!"

The three kids were left in stunned silence, until Chris said, "Can we actually do this?"

"I talked it over with Tiffany, you boys are free to go!" said Acacia. "And Eva, I even talked about this with your parents. They've known where you are this whole time."

"What?" said Eva.

"They want you to do what makes you happy," said Acacia. "So what _do_ you kids want to do?"

The kids looked at each other for a long time, but suddenly, they looked back at Acacia with determination in their eyes before saying, "We want to go on an adventure!"

"That's the ticket!" said Acacia, handing them each PokéDexes. "These PokéDexes will help you record the Pokémon you see, and here." He handed them three Pokéballs. "You'll want to officially catch your new partners!"

Brett, Eva, and Chris took the PokéDexes before taking the Pokéballs and tapping the buttons on the heads of their respective Pokémon. The Pokémon turned into red light and went into the Pokéballs, each shaking three times before clicking.

The kids let their now official partners out of the Pokéballs to pick them up.

"We're gonna have so much fun together!" said Eva.

"Charmor!" agreed Charmor.

"We're gonna make a great team, you and I!" said Chris.

"Platide!" said Platide.

"I think this could be the start of a beautiful friendship!" said Brett.

"Koaleaf," Koaleaf nodded.

Ash, Serena, and Vernon all looked onto the scene with approval. However, Ash felt the need to ask Acacia an important question. "Say, Professor?" he said. "On our way here, we ran into some people in suits called Team Shade. Do you know who they are?"

Acacia suddenly frowned. "Unfortunately," he said. "See, Team Shade decided long ago that Pokémon were dangerous creatures of mass destruction. They though the world wouldn't be safe until someone put a restraint on them, for the sake of humanity. But don't listen to them. They are wrong. Pokémon and humans have always lived in harmony, helping each other prosper. We're all on the same side."

Serena decided to walk up to Eva and say, "So what are your plans now?"

"Besides talking to my parents about this?" said Eva. "I've always wanted to try out for a Pokémon Pageant!"

"Pokémon Pageant?" said Serena.

"You know about Pokémon Contests and Pokémon Showcases, right?" said Eva. "Well, a Pokémon Pageant is essentially those two things put together. They judge both Trainers and Pokémon on talent, beauty, and skill. Win enough Pageants, you can earn enough medals to compete for Pokémon Pageant Queen!"

"I see," said Serena, now thinking hard about what she had just heard.

"I just wanna fill up the PokéDex, like Dad said!" said Chris. "I'll love to learn as much about Pokémon as I can!"

"I think I'm gonna visit the gyms," said Brett. "Earn a badge or two, then qualify for the Ralia league."

"Wait," said Ash, "there are gyms in Ralia? An Elite Four? A Pokémon League?"

Brett nodded. "You bet."

Ash looked at Pikachu on his shoulder. "Pikachu, we were waiting for a new adventure, and I think we just got it!"

"Pikachu!" Pikachu nodded.

* * *

Somewhere on the outskirts of Coastport City, Team Rocket was limping away.

"Well, that was just embarrassing," said Meowth.

"Well, at least we got the notes," said James. "The best way to defeat your enemy is to know them."

"Indeed," said Jessie. "Right now, though, I'd like to catch up to that twerp, so we finally give him what for, don't you think, guys?"

"Right!" said James and Meowth.

"Wobbuffet!" said Wobbuffet, emerging from its Pokéball.

"Mime mime!" said Mime Jr., appearing on James's shoulder.

"I like your spirit, you two!" said Jessie.

 **It looks like a new adventure awaits for Ash and his friends! But else could be waiting for them in this new region? And have we seen the last of Team Shade? More to come as the journey continues!**

 **TO BE CONTINUED!**

* * *

 **You guys have no idea how hard it was to make this chapter. But I did it! Last chance to guess what country I based Ralia off of. I will probably make one more chapter before I take a break for a while. I have college classes to worry about now. Once again, please review and favorite.**


	5. Flying Solo!

**Well, at least one person finally guessed, and he was right. Ralia is based on Australia. There'll be a lot more of this region to see as this story goes on. Now its time for the story to actually begin.**

* * *

 _Having finally completed his errand, Ash has decided to stay in the Ralia region a little bit longer. Both he and Serena have found something new to try in this new place._

"Pokémon Pageants, eh?" said Grace to her daughter through the video phone. "Sounds like your area of expertise."

"Are you okay to keep watching Sylveon and Pancham for me?" said Serena.

"They're doing just fine," said Grace. "And they just love this Poképuff recipé you me."

Pancham and Sylveon popped up into the screen and quickly said a greeting to their trainer.

"Pancham!"

"Sylveon!"

"I know, guys," said Serena, "but I don't see how I can get you here now. Don't worry, Mom will take good care of you until I get back."

Meanwhile, Eva was on the another video phone, talking with her own parents.

"Yes, I lied to you guys. But I really want to do this!" Eva said. "Please?"

"I don't know about this," said her father.

"Charmor!" said Charmor, suddenly appearing in the shot. It leapt onto Eva's shoulder to show that she had it to take care of her.

"I've got Charmor on my side now," Eva pointed out. "I can take care of him, and he'll take care of me."

"But what about those Team Shade punks out there?" said her mother. "What will you do about them?"

"I faced them with Brett and Chris already," explained Eva. "They're not so tough."

"I'm still not sure," said her father. "Are you sure you want to do this?"

"I can take care of myself," Eva insisted. "You guys trust me, right?"

Her parents paused for a moment. "We do," said her father.

"You know what, Eva?" said her mother. "As long as you have Charmor, I think you'll be much safer then you've ever been in Greymill Town."

"Really?" said Eva, eyes lighting up.

"Well, okay," said her father. "If it means this much to you. Just don't do anything I wouldn't do."

"Thanks so much, guys!" said Eva, grinning.

On another video phone, Ash was talking to his mother back in Pallet Town.

"So there's a whole 'nother Pokémon League there in Ralia, huh?" said Delia. "Well, I'd say that this is just what you've been waiting for!"

"Exactly!" said Ash. "I'm sorry to take off on you again, Mom, but-"

"Don't be, Ash," said Delia. "I know you too well. You can't stay in one place for too long. I think it'd be great for you to get out on the road again."

"Really? Thanks Mom," said Ash.

"Pika!" said Pikachu hopping on Ash's shoulder.

"I'll keep in touch, I promise!" said Ash as he hung up the phone.

At that moment, Vernon, Brett, Chris, RotomDex, and Professor Acacia entered the Pokémon Center. "Well, are you all ready to go?" asked Acacia.

"We're all ready, Professor," said Ash.

Serena turned to Eva. "So I guess the two of us will be competing, huh?"

"You bet!" said Eva. "Don't think I'm gonna go easy on you, though!"

"I wouldn't want you to," said Serena.

"So where's the closest gym to here?" asked Brett.

"According to my map," said RotomDex, "the closest gym is within the next town, Corwald City. But there is a forest in the way we must get through first, called Corwald Forest."

"What do you know about Corwald Forest?" said Chris.

"It's a bit tough to navigate, but it's not dangerous or anything," said RotomDex. "Mostly just bird and Bug Type Pokémon."

"That doesn't sound too hard…" said Brett.

"What? Are you scared or something?" Chris gently teased.

"N-no!" Brett said. "It's nothing to be afraid of! It's just some birds and some bugs."

"We could all walk there together," Eva suggested. "It'll be fun!"

"Okay," said Brett, perking up a little. He turned to face Ash. "Well, if you're really going to challenge the Pokémon League, then good luck."

"Thanks," said Ash.

"You'll need it to beat me," Brett teased, grinning. "I'm gonna be the best Trainer ever!"  
Ash grinned back. "I guess we'll see about that, because I already claimed that goal!"

"You should get going kids," Acacia said, and Brett, Chris, and Eva all nodded and walked out the door. "You know, Ash, if you're gonna start collecting badges, you might wanna register for the Ralia League."

"How does he do that?" said RotomDex.

"Uh," said Ash, rubbing the back of his head, "you have to use your PokéDex."

"But how do you-" RotomDex started, until his face dawned with realization and he started waving his hands in protest. "No way! Don't touch me!"

"You could always just leave the PokéDex body," Vernon suggested. "It's not like you can't survive without it."

RotomDex paused, but then said, "Okay, but make it quick." He floated over Ash's hand and ejected himself from the PokéDex body, causing the PokéDex to drop into Ash's hand.

"Thanks, RotomDex!" said Ash. "I'll be right back."

"Rotom, ro, ro." said the now naked Rotom.

"Quickly," said Ash as he raced to the front desk.

* * *

"Okay, Mr. Ketchum," said Nurse Joy, handing him back his PokéDex, "you're now officially registered in the Pokémon League."

"Thanks, Nurse Joy," said Ash as he attempted to take back the PokéDex, but then, Rotom suddenly flew into it and floated himself back into the air. "That feels so much better!" he said.

"Is that your Rotom?" asked Nurse Joy.

"Personal assistant, more like it," Ash said as he and RotomDex left to rejoin the others.

"Hey, Ash," said Serena. "I just had a thought. If we're both gonna be taking a trip around Ralia, maybe we could do it together? Just like old times?"

"Sounds great!" said Ash. "I'd like that." Serena smiled at this.

"Is there room for one more in your party?" said Vernon. "I actually just heard there might be a director in Corwald City. I'd like to give him my resumé. This could be my chance to finally land my first acting gig in years."

"Sure!" said Ash. "The more, the merrier!"

"Pika!" Pikachu agreed, jumping onto Ash's shoulder.

"Well, then, good luck you three," said Professor Acacia. "There's a great new world out there to discover. I hope you'll enjoy the whole journey."

"You bet, professor," said Ash as he turned back to his friends. "If we're ready, then next stop, Corwald City!"

* * *

As Ash, Vernon, Serena, Pikachu, and RotomDex made their way through Route 2, they could witness Corwald Forest up in the distance.

"So we have to go through there?" said Serena.

"It's the quickest way," RotomDex pointed out.

"It'll be fine," said Ash as he walked ahead.

"Say, Ash," said Vernon, "if you're going to challenge the Corwald Gym, then don't you think you should catch a few Pokémon first? All you've got right now is Pikachu, and the gym has a two Pokémon requirement."

"Oh yeah, good point," Ash said. "I'm gonna look for on right now."

Ash took of into trees surrounding the path, with Serena, Vernon, and RotomDex running after him, calling out, "Ash, wait up!"

Ash scanned through the bushes, looking for a Pokémon to catch. He looked up and down, but everything was quiet. Not even any worms moving across the ground. He was about to turn around when he heard a light, rapid wingbeat. He turned his head to see a small bird Pokémon sipping nectar out of a flower. It was green, looked like a hummingbird, had tiny feet, and had a tiny mohawk made out of feathers on top of its head.

"Ash, there you are!" said Serena, as she, Vernon, and RotomDex finally caught up with him and Pikachu.

"Guys, look, I found a Pokémon!" Ash pointed.

RotomDex scanned the Pokémon and said, "Humbeat. The Hummingbird Pokémon. A Flying Type. Humbeats use their long beaks to sip the nectar from flowers, using their long, sticky tongues, which can grow up to a foot in length. Humbeats rarely stop flying, due to their hearts beating at a rate of 1500 beats per minute. Evolves into Humflora at level 16 and into Humnectar at level 36."

"It can fly all day long?" said Serena.

"I'm gonna try to catch it!" said Ash, charging in with Pikachu hopping off his shoulder. "Hey, you!" The Humbeat turned its head to face Ash and Pikachu. "It's time to battle! Pikachu, use Electro Ball!"

"Pikachu!" said Pikachu, as it created a ball of electricity at the end of its tail and flung it in Humbeat's direction. However, Humbeat simply flew to the side to dodge, and rapidly pecked at Pikachu's face with a Drill Peck attack.

"Pika!" Pikachu whined.

"Use Iron Tail!" said Ash.

Pikachu's tail turned metallic silver as it swung its tail at Humbeat, batting it away.

"Now use Thunderbolt!" said Ash.

"Pi-ka-chu!" said Pikachu as it shot a bolt of electricity in Humbeat's direction. The attack hit, and Humbeat was burned by the super-effective attack.

"Perfect!" Ash praised Pikachu, before hurling a Pokéball at Humbeat. "Go, Pokéball!"

However, something flew in their way as the Pokéball was knocked back in Ash's direction. Ash looked up in confusion and saw a Pokémon that looked like Humbeat, but was twice as large, had two stem coming out of its rear ending in leaves, and had much more defined wings and a red head.

RotomDex scanned the new Pokémon and said, "Humflora, the Hovering Pokémon. A Flying and Grass type. Humfloras spend most of their time sipping nectar to keep their high metabolisms going, and are attracted to anything sweet. Their wings can beat at a rate of 9000 beat per second. Evolves from Humbeat at level 16 and into Humnectar at level 36."

"That's its evolved form?" said Vernon.

The Humflora hovered down to the Humbeat, nuzzling it with its beak. Humbeat weakly got off the ground and Humflora angrily looked in Ash and Pikachu's direction.

"I fear that Humflora is an older sibling of that Humbeat," said RotomDex. "These Pokémon are known for living in groups of siblings and being notoriously protective of each other."

"I'm not scared," said Ash. "Pikachu, use Electro Ball!"

"Pikachu!" said Pikachu as it launched another attack the bird's way. Humflora geared up to counter the attack, but Humbeat suddenly flew in the way, taking the whole hit. Humflora looked back at him strangely, but Humbeat quickly stood back up and stirred up the wind to use Razor Wind.

"Dodge it, Pikachu!" commanded Ash, and Pikachu jumped out of the way of the incoming, razor-sharp currents of air. Humbeat prepared another Drill Peck attack, but Humflora got in the way.

"Humflora, flora," it said to its younger sibling, as if saying, "You're weak, you should rest."

"Humbeat! Humbeat!" Humbeat screeched into Humflora's ear.

"What's going on?" asked Serena.

"I think Humbeat wants to beat Pikachu all by itself, but Humflora thinks it's too hurt," said Vernon.

Humbeat started breathing heavily, almost collapsing from exhaustion. Humflora worriedly picked it off the ground with its feet, but Humbeat flapped its wings in protest. As Ash watched this, he suddenly felt guilty about having Pikachu hurt Humbeat to begin with.

Humbeat suddenly fell asleep, tired from all the fighting. Ash kneeled down to Humflora's height and said, "Humbeat is hurt. Do you want us to help him get better?"

Humflora pecked at Ash's eye, still miffed at its little sibling getting hurt. "I know I'm probably not you favorite person in the world right now," said Ash, "but I wanna help. Please? I promise we won't bother you guys anymore afterward."

Pikachu walked up to Ash in agreeance. "Pikachu," it nodded its head.

Humflora looked at the sincerity in Ash and Pikachu's eyes, and saw the same thing when it looked back at Serena, Vernon, and RotomDex. Eventually, it nodded and dropped its sleeping younger sibling in Ash's hands.

Ash grinned. "Great," he said. "C'mon, the Pokémon Center's not too far from here."

* * *

 **Who's that Pokémon?**

 **It draws out and controls the hidden power of flowers. When it finds a flower it likes, it will hold onto it its whole life.**

* * *

"Can you help him, Nurse Joy?" asked Ash. Humbeat was laying on a small gurney in the Pokémon Center, as Nurse Joy overlooked him.

"He should be fine," said Nurse Joy. "Let's just get him into the care unit. Oh, Squibble!"

Out of the care unit came a pink Pokémon with a squishy body. Its head and limps were round, and it had huge, adorable eyes and mouth. RotomDex scanned it and said, "Squibble, the Rubbery Pokémon. A Fairy Type. A Squibble's body is incredibly elastic, and it can inflate itself to immeasurable sizes. Its body is soft and squishy to touch. Does not evolve."

"Our friend here needs to get into the care unit," Nurse Joy explained. Squibble nodded and inflated its body so it was tall enough to push the gurney away.

Half an hour later, Nurse Joy and Squibble emerged from the care unit with a slowly-waking-up Humbeat. "He should be okay again," said Nurse Joy. "He just needs to take it easy for a while." However, Humbeat suddenly flew off of the gurney, flying among the people until it made it outside.

"I swear, that Humbeat really doesn't like help, does it?" said Serena.

Humflora landed in front of her and made gestures with its wings, showing how it had taken care of its younger sibling, but then imitated Humbeat by puffing out its chest and marching around.

"Are you saying Humbeat just wants to be independent?" Serena guessed. Humflora nodded.

"Being independent is a great thing," said Vernon, "but it needs to let people help when he needs it."

BANG!

"What was that outside?" said Ash, running outside with his friends following him. Once outside, they witnessed an all-too-familiar Meowth shaped balloon in the sky.

"Prepare for trouble, it's time to strike!"

"And make it double, the difficulty's gone up a spike!"

"To protect the world from devastation!"

"To unite all people within our nation!"

"To denounce the evils of truth and love!"

"To extend our reach to the stars above!"

"Jessie!"

"And James!"

"Team Rocket blasts off at the speed of light!"

"Surrender now or prepare to fight!"

"Meowth, that's right!"

"Wobbuffet!"

"Mime, mime!"

"Not these guys again," grumbled Vernon.

"We were hoping to run into you twerps again!" said James from the balloon basket. "Now, it's revenge time!"

Meowth activated a vacuum cleaner under the basket and ran it along the ground. Any trainers around felt their Pokéballs being lifted out of their pockets, so they struggled to hold onto them. However, most of the Pokéball were sucked up into the bag.

"You guys can't do that!" said Ash. "Pikachu, use Iron Tail and break the vacuum!"  
"Pika!" said Pikachu as it jumped up to attack the vacuum. However, it was surprised when its attack simply bounced off.

"You're gonna have to try harder than that!" Meowth mocked. He suddenly pressed another button the caused a mechanical arm to emerge from the basket and grab Pikachu.

At this point, Humflora charged in to help by using Steel Wing on the mechanical arms, but that attack, too, just bounced off. Then, Meowth suddenly vacuumed up Humflora into the bag with the Pokéballs.

"What are we gonna do now?" said Serena.

"There must be a control for the arm up in that basket," said Vernon. "We gotta disable it, and cut down that bag, somehow."

Ash suddenly turned around and saw a familiar face swooping in. "I think I know who can help," he said.

Humbeat dived into the basket, Drill Pecking Jessie's face. "Get off me, you stupid bird!" she said, swatting them away. Humbeat heard Humflora's cries within the bag, and then used Razor Wind to attack it, but to no avail. As it witnessed Pikachu continuing to struggle, it used Wing Attack on the arm, but it only bounced off.

"Alright, I've have enough!" said Meowth. He turned the vacuum in reverse and blew Humbeat into the ground.

"Humbeat!" said Ash, running up to him. "Are you okay?" He tried to pick Humbeat of the ground, but Humbeat flapped in his hands and tried to get away.

"Humbeat, I know you want to rescue Humflora, but this way isn't working!" said Ash. "You've gotta let us help you! We can do this and rescue everyone's Pokémon together!"

Humbeat slowly settled down and looked up at Ash with shock.

"You may not trust me, but you can't do this on your own," Ash continued. "You gotta let us help."

Humbeat looked down, but looked back up and nodded its head. "Good," said Ash. "Now we need to figure out a way for you to cut down that bag."

* * *

 **It's Flabébé!**

* * *

"I think that's all the Pokémon," said James.

"Then let's bounce," said Jessie as she prepared to maneuver the balloon away. However, she suddenly felt a rock being hurled at her head, and looked down to see Ash, Serena, Vernon, and all the other trainers in the area throwing rocks at them.

"Just can't get enough can you?" said Jessie. She pulled out her Pokéball and threw it, saying, "Napiat, use Venoshock!"

"And Choaking," said James, throwing his Pokéball, "use Sludge Bomb!"

Napiat and Choaking appeared and used their respective attacks, causing all the trainers to run back for the Pokémon Center.

"You call that an attack?" Meowth mocked.

"Now," said Ash, "we call that a distraction!"

"What?" said Team Rocket simultaneously. Suddenly, they heard something dropping down and peeked underneath the basket. They witnesses the vacuum bag falling to the ground, having been cut loose by Humbeat. Once it landed, Humflora emerged, and all the trainer ran to reclaim their Pokémon.

"Not great," said Meowth. "Who coulda done that?"

"I'll bet it was that annoying bird!" Jessie suggested.

Suddenly, they looked in front of them when they heard some sparks, and saw Humbeat Drill Pecking the control for the mechanical arm into submission, causing Pikachu to escape from it.

"We're in so much trouble," said James. At that moment, Humbeat and Humflora popped the balloon with their sharp beaks, causing it to spin out of control.

"You know what to do, Pikachu," said Ash.

Pikachu nodded and lit up its body with electricity as it launched a Thunderbolt in Team Rocket's direction. "Pi-ka-chu!"

The attack made contact and Team Rocket was sent flying into the air, disappearing with a twinkle.

"WE'RE BLASTING OFF AGAIN!"

"Wobbuffet!"

"Mime, mime!"

* * *

"Humbeat, you were awesome!" said Ash. "We couldn't have done it without you!"

Suddenly, however, Humbeat charged in Ash and Pikachu's direction, causing the two of them to back up.

"Hey, what're you doing?" Ash asked. Humbeat just flew behind him and attacked his back pocket, causing a Pokéball to fall out. It then flew in front of him, grinning.

"Ash, I think it wants to finish your battle," said Vernon.

"Oh, I get it," said Ash, grinning. He looked at Pikachu and said, "What do you think, buddy?"

Pikachu nodded in its trainers direction, saying, "Pika!"

"Then let's do it!" Ash said. "Use Thunderbolt!"

"Pi-ka-chu!" said Pikachu, launching a bolt of lightning in Humbeat's direction. However, Humbeat quickly dodged and its wings lit up to use Wing Attack.

"Dodge it, Pikachu!" Ash commanded. Pikachu quickly ducked under the wings and Ash said, "Use Iron Tail!"

"Pikachu!" Pikachu yelled as its tail turned silver and swatted Humbeat away. Humbeat quickly shook it off and launched a Razor Wind at Pikachu, and this time, Pikachu failed to get out of the way. Humbeat charged forward to use Drill Peck, but Ash yelled, "Quick Attack!"

Pikachu's body became outlined in white as it charged up into the air, and then came back down on Humbeat, knocking it to the ground.

As a dazed Humbeat struggled to get up, Ash threw his Pokéball and said, "Go, Pokéball!" The Pokéball hit Humbeat, transforming it into a white light and pulling it inside. The Pokéball began wiggling on the ground, and Ash watched anxiously, until finally…

CLICK!

Ash excitedly walked up to the Pokéball, picked it up, and said, "Alright, I just caught Humbeat!"

"Pikachu!"

"Congrats, Ash," said Vernon, grinning.

"You did it!" said a beaming Serena.

"Thanks, guys," said Ash as he threw the Pokéball into the air, saying, "Come on out!"

Humbeat was released from the Pokéball and excited chattered, "Humbeat!"

"Humflora," said Humflora, flying closer to Ash and Humbeat.

Ash looked at Humflora and quickly realized what it was thinking. "Hey, I promise, I'll take good care of Humbeat. And besides, he's a tough, little Pokémon, no one better mess with _him_."

Humflora was silent, but then grinned and nodded, "Humflora." Humbeat suddenly flew up to its chest and nuzzled its older sibling, and both birds bid each other goodbye.

 _Looks like Ash has found his first Ralia region Pokémon in Humbeat, proving that friendships in the Pokémon world are often made when you least expect it! More adventures await, as the journey continues!_

 **TO BE CONTINUED...**


	6. Into the Woods!

**Hello, again! So, what I was thinking is I tell you in my author's notes about the new mechanics and changes I'd introduce in Garnet, Jade, and Amethyst versions. First, Pokémon are now allowed to learn six moves instead of four. Also, I plan to include some new service Pokémon, because this is how we replace HMs. I would have a Scyther to replace Cut, a Wailmer to replace Dive, and a Munna to replace Flash. Also, Pokémon will be able to carry two items at once (but they cannot hold both a Z-Crystal and a Mega Stone). Anyway, here's the next chapter.**

* * *

 _Our heroes are now making their way through the Corwald Forest, as on the other side, Ash's first gym battle awaits!_

At the moment, Ash, Pikachu, Serena, Vernon, and RotomDex were walking through Corwald Forest, finding it to be oddly quiet. No Pokémon, no wind, just silence.

"Say, RotomDex," said Serena, "I though you said we'd find Bug Type and bird Pokémon out here."

"Maybe they're all just sleeping?" RotomDex suggested.

"Well, then," said Vernon, "I'd say we should be able to get to Corwald City soon."

Serena suddenly looked over at Ash, and walked closer to him to say, "Hey, Ash? Remember what we were talking about earlier?"

Ash's face suddenly felt serious as he looked over at Serena. "Oh, yeah."

"You said you had something to say to me?" Serena asked hopefully.

"Well, Serena, I've been thinking…" Ash began when…

BANG!

The clearing in front of the heroes suddenly filled with smoke, and Serena growled at Ash being interrupted _again_.

"Prepare for trouble, out for a stroll?"

"And make it double, we have a better goal!"

"To protect the world from devastation!"

"To unite all people within our nation!"

"To denounce the evils of truth and love!"

"To extend our reach to the stars above!"

"Jessie!"

"And James!"

"Team Rocket blasts off at the speed of light!"

"Surrender now or prepare to fight!"

"Meowth, that's right!"

"Wobbuffet!"

"Mime mime!"

"Team Rocket!?" said Ash, exasperated. "Again!?"

"Guess you guys just can't get enough," said Vernon.

"Come on, now!" said Meowth. "The five of us are the spice of your life!"

"So what say you just hand over your Pokémon, and we'll be on our way?" offered Jessie.

"Not gonna happen!" said Ash as Pikachu, standing by his ankles, got into a fighting stance.

"Very well," said Jessie as she pulled out a Pokéball. "Go, Napiat, use Venoshock!"

"And Choaking," said James, pulling out his own Pokéball, "use Sludge Bomb!"

Jessie and James threw their Pokéballs, which exploded into their respective Pokémon. Napiat and Choaking both growled before unleashing their respective moves. The group instinctively moved out of the way.

"Pikachu! Use Thunderbolt!" Ash called out.

"Braixen," said Serena, pulling out her Pokéball, "use Flamethrower!"

"Floattery," yelled Vernon, throwing his Pokéball, "use Acid!"

As Braixen and Floattery appeared, they and Pikachu geared up to use their respective attacks, before Napiat and Choaking suddenly leapt behind their trainers, who pulled out small machines in their hands before pushing a button on them. The result was enormous, metallic barrier popping out, completely negating the shots.

"What was that?" said Vernon.

"Like our newest invention?" said James. "It's capable of withstanding all kinds of damage without a scratch!"

"I think its time we changed things up," said Jessie. "Napiat, now! Use Constrict on the Twerpette!"

"Napiat!" Napiat called out, shooting forward to wrap it long body around Serena.

"Hey!" yelled Serena, struggling in the Poison Snake Pokémon's grip. "Let me go!"

"You wish!" said James as Napiat carried Serena over to Team Rocket.

"So here's what we're thinking," said Meowth. "You come find us later at the center of the forest, give us all you're Pokémon, and maybe, just maybe, you can have your Twerpette back!"

"No way!" said Ash, his face flushed with rage. "Leave Serena alone!"

"Doubt it!" said Meowth.

"Wobbuffet!" said Wobbuffet.

"Mime mime!" said Mime Jr.

"Choaking, use Smog!" said James.

"Choa-king!" said Choaking as it spewed black gases to conceal Team Rocket. Ash, Vernon, Pikachu, and Braixen all coughed as the smog cleared. Once it did, The opened their eyes to see that Team Rocket had vanished, along with Serena.

"Serena! No!" called out Ash, running forward to were his friend had been.

"Those cowards!" Vernon gritted his teeth. "We gotta find 'em!"

"Yeah, you're right," said Ash, who suddenly had an idea. He pulled out a Pokéball and threw it in the air. "Humbeat, I choose you!"

The Pokéball released the bird Pokémon, who appeared flying in the air. "Humbeat?" it questioned.

"Humbeat, Serena's been captured!" Ash explained. "I need you to fly up into the air and see if you can find her, okay?"

Humbeat nodded and took off into the sky. "So what do you think we should do?" Ash asked Vernon.

"Search the ground," said Vernon. "That's all we can do."

Ash nodded. "Right."

* * *

 **Who's that Pokémon?**

 **It aimed for the top but got lost on a snowy mountain. It grew fur in response to the cold.**

* * *

"You guys let me go!" Serena exclaimed as she struggled against Napiat's grip.

"I think not," said James.

"You'll come in very handy if your twerpish friends won't cooperate," said Meowth.

"Wobbuffet!" said Wobbuffet.

Serena eyes suddenly lit up with an idea. "I get it," she said. "You're all just so bad at battling, you have to resort to playing dirty."

Jessie suddenly glared over at her. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"It's not like you guys could beat us in a fight," said Serena, "with or without our Pokémon."

"Is that so?" said Jessie, fuming. "I'd love to see you try!"

"I bet Napiat here couldn't even hold me still," teased Serena.

"That's it!" said Jessie. "Napiat, use Poison Fang!"

Napiat's fangs turned purple as threw its mouth closer to Serena, but Serena fell backwards and Napiat's teeth sank into its own skin instead. Napiat shrieked and suddenly dropped Serena on the ground. She wasted no time in standing up and bolting away.

"She's getting away!" yelled Meowth.

"Use Venoshock!" said Jessie.

"Sludge Bomb!" said James.

Napiat and Choaking launched their respective attacks at Serena, but she quickly disappeared behind the trees.

* * *

"Phew, that was close," said Serena, panting to catch her breath, before looking around the forest. "Now where are Ash and Vernon?"

Suddenly, she heard a quiet squeaking. Curious, she peeked around the trees and scanned the forest floor, until she noticed a little bug Pokémon on the ground. The Pokémon looked like a caterpillar, about a foot long, was striped yellow and black, had a small mouth and eyes, and three eye spots on top of its head shaped like stars. Serena felt frustrated that RotomDex wasn't around to tell her what it was. Still, the Pokémon was trapped underneath a fallen rock and was struggling to pull itself out. Serena quickly walked over and lifted the rock off of the little Pokémon's back.

"Hey, there," she said soothingly, rubbing the Pokémon's back. "Are you okay?"

The Pokémon took one look at Serena and run away to hide under the bushes.

"Hey, it's okay," said Serena, walking after it. "I won't hurt you. Ooh! I know what you'd like." Serena opened her bag and pulled out a plastic bag full of Poképuffs. She pulled one out and offered it into the bushes. Slowly, the Pokémon inched out of the bushes and felt the Poképuff before beginning to nibble on it. Serena smiled and fed it the rest of the Poképuff.

"You feel better?" she asked.

"Star, starva!" said the Pokémon.

"I'll assume you're called a Starva," said Serena, petting the Pokémon. "Well, I've gotta go. My friends are probably worried about me." She stood up to walk away, but halfway there, she felt something on her leg. She looked down to see Starva rubbing against her leg.

"You want to come with?" said Serena. Starva nodded, so she picked it up and held it in her arms. "Then let's go."

* * *

"Serena!" Ash called out as he, Vernon, RotomDex, Pikachu, Braixen, and Floattery scanned the forest.

"I wonder if we will ever find her," said RotomDex out loud.

"We're going to find her, and everything will be fine," said Vernon.

Suddenly, the group heard a rustle in the bushes. Ash couldn't help but walk over to investigate. He parted the bushes, hoping to see his missing friend. However, he was surprised when he instead saw a group of red, scaled Pokémon all playing with each other. Ash recognized them as Charmors, like the one Eva had accepted as her starter Pokémon.

"Are those Charmors?" said an approaching Vernon.

"I did not know that they lived out here," said RotomDex, as he tapped his screen. "Updating data."

Ash suddenly noticed one particular Charmor that was colored differently. Instead of red, it was colored bronze and had dark black, very thin stripes on its back. At the moment, the Pokémon was charging into the fray with the other Charmors, and it attempted to slam its head into a larger Charmor. However, the larger Charmor quickly got a smug expression on its face, and it ran forward and knocked the shiny Charmor to its side. The shiny Charmor refused to give up, however, and charged at the larger one again. Despite its best attempts, however, the bigger Pokémon didn't even budge. The bigger Charmor suddenly grew flames in its mouth and spat an Ember attack at the shiny Charmor, sending it flying into a tree. As it slowly got up, the little Charmor's eyes began to shed small tears, as the the rest of the group started laughing at its misfortunate. The shiny Charmor ended up running away.

"That poor Charmor!" said Ash. "Why would they treat him like that?"

"I guess it was the runt of the group," Vernon suggested. "But they still should be nicer to him.

Ash saw the shiny Charmor crouching underneath a bush, and walked over to see it trembling. Slowly, he reached out his hand to touch its back, but the Charmor turned around and jumped backwards.

"Hey, I won't hurt you," said Ash. Slowly, he petted the little Pokémon's head, and slowly, the Charmor stopped trembling.

"I can't believe those other guys were so mean to you!" said Ash. "Don't they respect you?"

The Charmor shook its head, before rearing on its hind legs, imitating the other Charmors, before shrinking to the ground, trembling as it did earlier.

"So those other Charmors bully you just because they're bigger than you?" Ash guessed. Charmor nodded its head.

"Hey, Ash," said Vernon, walking closer, "why don't you give him some of this?" Vernon held out a small Potion spray. "It should make him feel better." Ash took the Potion and slowly sprayed it on the Charmor's wounds. Charmor winced in pain for a moment, but it quickly relaxed and it began to stand up again.

"That's better, huh?" said Ash, stroking its head. "And don't listen to those other guys. You're tough in your own ways, don't you forget that."

Suddenly, they heard someone say, "I wonder if you twerps are tough enough yourselves!"

* * *

 **It's Crabominable!**

* * *

Serena continued to carry Starva around in her arms as she scoured the forest for her friends, but noticed that Starva seemed to be anxiously looking around. She tried petting its head to calm it down, but then, a Fletchling flew down from a tree. At that, the Starva buried its face into Serena's elbow to hide.

"You're just a little scaredy Meowth, aren't you?" said Serena. "It's okay, that Fletchling won't bother you." Serena decided to carry Starva over to where the Fletchling had landed, and showed Starva how it was simply cleaning under its wing. As soon as the Fletchling saw its visitors, it happily chirped.

"See, it's okay," said Serena. "Say hi." Starva slowly peeked out from her arms, and anxiously looked the Fletchling in the eye. The Fletchling hopped closer and chirped to greet the larva Pokémon. Slowly, the Starva reached out and nibbled on the Fletchling's wing with its mouth, and the Fletchling looked on grinning. Then, Starva pulled back and almost grinned.

"See, nothing to be afraid of," said Serena soothingly, stroking Starva's head. "Well, I suppose we should get going."

Serena slowly stood up and began walking away, but suddenly heard something shouting, "Beat, beat!" She looked up and saw Humbeat flying down to greet them.

"Humbeat!" said Serena. "I assume Ash sent you to find me, huh?" Humbeat nodded. "Well, lead the way! I can't wait to get back to him and Vernon!"

Humbeat turned around to fly away and lead Serena back to the others, but Serena suddenly saw Starva hiding its face again.

"Don't worry, Humbeat's a friend," she said as she began following the bird.

* * *

"Team Rocket!" Vernon said.

"Surprised to see us?" said Jessie.

"You really shouldn't be," said James.

"Where's Serena!?" Ash demanded.

"How should we know?" said Meowth. "She got away on us."

"You lost her!?" said Ash.

"Oh, dear me," said Jessie, "so sorry we lost your precious girlfriend, twerp."

Ash suddenly felt red on his face as he hastily said, "Sh-she's not my girlfriend!"

"Either way, we'd like some justice!" said Meowth. "Maybe a fight with you twerps will lure the twerpette out of hiding!"

"If it's a fight you want…" said Vernon. "Floattery, use Acid!"

"And Pikachu, use Thunderbolt!" said Ash.

Pikachu's body lit up with electricity and Floattery raised one of its tentacles to use their respective moves, and Braixen held its staff in front of it and lit it with flames to use Flamethrower.

"Wobbuffet, a little help here?" said Jessie.

"Wobbuffet!" said Wobbuffet, as it leapt in front of Team Rocket, and its body glowed blue as it used Counter. As soon as Pikachu, Floattery, and Braixen's attacks hit, they bounced right off and were sent straight back at the attackers. The three Pokémon tried to evade, but their own attacks made contact with them and blew them back.

"Is that the best you can do?" mocked James. Charmor noticed this in the background, and decided to run in front of everyone, making a fierce battle stance.

"What is that?" asked Jessie.

James took a peek into the deck of cards they stole from Professor Acacia's lab, and found one with Charmor's picture on it. "This says it's called a Charmor, but it's colored differently."

"Whatever, there's no way it can stop us!" Meowth laughed. Charmor felt some anxiety come inside its body, but quickly shook it off. It decided to spray Team Rocket with a Smokescreen attack, causing them all to cough as they couldn't see anything.

"Nice one, Charmor!" said Ash.

"Now's our chance! Wobbuffet can't see the attack coming!" said Vernon. "Everyone, try your attacks again."

Pikachu, Floattery, and Braixen used their attacks again, and this time, they were able to knock Team Rocket back.

"How dare you!" said Jessie as she grabbed her Pokéball. "Napiat, use Venoshock!"

"And Choaking," said James as he grabbed his Pokéball, "use Sludge Bomb!"

Napiat and Choaking came out of their Pokéballs, and spat purple liquid and black sludge at the other Pokémon, but Pikachu, Floattery, and Braixen dodged.

"Don't stop!" said Jessie.

"Keep going," said James.

"Napait!" "Choaking!" Napiat and Choaking continued to spit their attacks, and their opponents found it getting harder to dodge.

In the background, Serena, Humbeat, and Starva had suddenly arrived and were witnessing the battle in front of them. "Oh no!" said Serena. "We have to help them!" However, when it saw the battle, Starva jumped out of Serena's arms, and hid in a bush.

Serena walked over to the bush, lifted up the branches, and said, "Starva, please, my friends are in trouble. We really could use your help out here."

Starva slowly peeked out of the bush and looked up at Serena's pleading eyes. "I know you're scared, but we can do this together." Starva looked back at the battle, and reluctantly nodded.

"I have an idea," said Serena, who whispered something into Starva's ear. Starva nodded and spat a String Shot attack at Napiat and Choaking, clamping Napiat's mouth shut, and covering the holes on Choaking's body.

"What?" said Team Rocket.

"What was that?" said Vernon. Suddenly, he and Ash noticed Serena standing in the bushes nearby, Starva on her shoulder, and Humbeat hovering next to her.

"Serena!" said Ash, relieved.

"Looks like I'm just in time," said Serena.

"Who's that Pokémon on your shoulder?" asked Vernon.

RotomDex decided to scan it and said, "Starva, the Larva Pokémon. A Bug Type. in order to grow and mature into its final form, Starva spends most of the day eating leaves. At night, it likes to examine the stars before going to sleep. Evolves into Chrysaluxe at level 10, and into Solarfly at level 13 when male, or into Lunoth at level 13 when female."

"Never mind them!" said James. "Choaking, use Fire Blast!"

"Choa-king!" said Choaking, as it spewed fire front its holes hot enough to burn the silk, and spat a star-shaped ball of fire at the heroes.

"Dodge it!" said Ash, Serena, and Vernon. Pikachu, Floattery, Braixen, and Charmor jumped out of the way.

"Thunderbolt!"

"Acid!"

"Flamethrower!"

Pikachu, Floattery, and Braixen geared up their respective attacks, and Charmor prepared to use Ember. Ultimately, their attacks hit so hard, Team Rocket was sent flying off into the sky.

"We're blasting off again!"

"Wobbuffet!"

"Mime mime!"

* * *

"That was awesome!" said RotomDex.

"I'm just glad you're okay, Serena," said Ash, walking up to Serena.

"You too, Ash," said Serena, smiling.

Starva leapt onto the ground and looked up to Serena. She was about to ask what it was looking at, but its body suddenly began to glow. Everyone took a step back. "It's evolving!" said Vernon in shock.

Eventually, the glowing faded, and Starva was now shaped like a chrysalis, colored purple, with big eyes and white specks resembling stars covering its body. RotomDex quickly scanned it again, and said, "Chrysaluxe, the Pupa Pokémon. A Bug Type. Chrysaluxe's body is as hard as metal to protect from predators. They typically live in open places where they can see starry skies."

"You evolved!" said Serena. "That's fantastic!"

"Hey, Serena," said Vernon. "Do you want to catch Chrysaluxe? It really seems to like you."

"I don't know," said Serena. She looked down at Chrysaluxe in the eyes. "Would you like to come with me?"

Chrysaluxe considered that for a moment, but looked up and nodded.

"Great!" said Serena, pulling out a Pokéball, pushing the button on its head. Chrysaluxe turned to red energy and went inside the Pokéball, which wiggled three times before clicking.

"Yes!" said Serena. "I just caught Chrysaluxe!"

"Congrats, Serena," said Ash. He suddenly looked over to Charmor, and knelt down to him. "Hey, Charmor, I wanna say thanks for helping us back there. It could've been bad if you hadn't jumped out."

"Charmor," Charmor nodded.

"You see? You're really tough, and you sent Team Rocket running. You don't have to worry about being the runt." Ash stood up. "Well, we should be going now. So long."

Charmor grinned and waved its front leg goodbye.

* * *

As the group continued walking through the forest, Serena noticed Ash was walking by himself. She walked over to him, and said, "Ash, about that conversation we had earlier…"

"Serena," said Ash, looking over to her, "I've been giving it a lot of thought, and…"

"Yes?" said Serena hopefully.

"Maybe we should just be friends for now," said Ash.

"Huh?" said Serena, genuinely shocked.

"We both have other things to worry about. You have your Pokémon Pageants, I have the Ralia League, so maybe we should just focus on that for now."

"I, uh..." said Serena.

"It's not that I don't like you, Serena," said Ash. "I think that, after each of our missions are said and done, maybe the two of us could try be with each other."

Serena's face slowly lit up. "You think so?"

Ash grinned. "I promise."

Serena looked down, but looked at Ash again and nodded. "Yeah, we'll worry about our missions. But I'll be waiting."

Behind them, Pikachu was walking, but quickly face-palmed at hearing Ash's words.

As Serena stepped away, Vernon came closer to Ash. "Did you just turn Serena down? Why would you do that? Don't you like her?"

"Of course, I like her," said Ash. "But if I tell that now, I'm just gonna hurt her."

"What do you mean?" said Vernon.

"Pikachu and I always on the road, and if I let Serena get in too deep, I'm gonna hurt her even more if we get separated again. I don't want to put her through that."

Vernon looked at Ash surprised. "I see…"

As they kept walking, they didn't notice a certain Charmor hiding in the bushes behind them. It looked at Ash, and began walking closer.

 _A new member of the team has joined our heroes, and it seems like they have another Pokémon interested! Though I think what we're really concerned about is what will become of Ash and Serena? Will they ever be together? We'll find out as the journey continues!_

 **TO BE CONTINUED…**

* * *

 **I'm ashamed of myself, for that shameless cop-out between Ash and Serena. I really didn't want to do that. But rest assured, that part of the story is far from over. Boy, this story is hard to write. It's a very aggressive schedule. Now I know how the writers of** _ **Teen Titans Go!**_ **feel. And they have multiple people. Still, I'll continue posting chapters. Please review, I like reviews.**


	7. Rise or Return?

**Well, it's been awhile, but I'm back. I like how you guys have been suggesting ideas for Australian Pok** **émon. By all means, keep them coming. Also, something I should probably bring to your attention: how about the shadowy creature that saved Ash, Serena, and Vernon in Chapter Four? Well, that was a legendary Pokémon. I can't tell you about him yet, but he's coming soon enough.**

* * *

 _At long last, our friends have arrived in Corwald Town, the site of Ash's first Gym Battle in the Ralia region!_

"Alright! We made!" Ash ran out in front of his friends. "Badge number one, here I come!"

"Now, hold up a second, Ash," said Vernon, suddenly walking up beside him. "I like that enthusiasm, but there's something we should do first."

"What's that?" said Ash.

"Remember that director I was telling you about?" Vernon said. "He's not going to be in town for much longer, you know. This might be my only chance to speak to him."

"It's true," said RotomDex, bringing up a news article about the event. "It says here that he is looking for actors who can give him inspiration for a new superhero movie."

"So you wanna be that actor, huh?" said Serena.

"You bet!" said Vernon. "I intend to blow his socks off."

"Okay, then let's go," said Ash. "Where is this director?"

"He is at the Corwald Studio," said RotomDex, "which is about thirteen meters away from our current location."

"Then let's go!" said Vernon.

* * *

"Horrific, simply horrific!" declared a man sitting in the director's chair. As he stood up, he continued, "Who in their right mind would want to witness people dancing with a Chatot to fight crime!"

"But I was using Chatot to mimic sounds."

"Not enough. Good day!"

The other man carrying a Chatot on his shoulder walked away dejectedly, and passed through a room of other acting applicants. Just as he opened the door, Vernon, Ash, Serena, Pikachu, and RotomDex walked through, as the other man pushed past them.

"Man, that director is tough," he said.

As the group made their way into the studio, they saw the waiting room, which was decked out with small chairs, each containing another applicant nervously tapping their feet, awaiting their audition.

"So, what exactly is your plan, Vernon?" said Serena.

"Just wait and see," Vernon said mysteriously. "But I need Floattery's help. Come on out!" He whipped out his Poké Ball, and out of it exploded Floattery.

* * *

"Ladies and germs," said Vernon from the dressing room, "I give you Toxicity!" He burst out the door, wearing an extravagant outfit consisting of pointy, purple sunglasses, spikes designed to resemble poisonous barbs on his shoulders, and Floattery emerged from behind to show off a cape.

"So what do you guys think?" said Vernon.

"It's you, Vernon," Ash joked. "Over-the-top, and hard to miss."

"Ha, ha," said Vernon. "You best not joke about Toxicity. He and his sidekick the Blob, we cleanse the world of crime.

Floattery suddenly started buzzing in annoyance. "Yes, _sidekick_ ," said Vernon. "As long as I'm the trainer, your the sidekick." Vernon turned back to Ash and Serena before posing dramatically. "And I even have a dark and crippling backstory. It started on a dark and stormy night-"

"Yeah, you know what," said Serena, "maybe we'll wait for the movie to find that out. No spoilers, please."

"Suit yourself," said Vernon. "I better go sign up."

He and Floattery approached the head desk, but all of a sudden, another man appeared in front of him. The man was dressed as a shadowy guy that you'd find in an alleyway, and was followed by a Zoroark.

"Outta my way, cosplayer," he said. "The real superstar is coming through."

"Excuse me, buddy!" said Vernon. "Who do you think you are?"

"I'm Kowalski, only the rising star of the century!" said the man. "Certainly have a better chance than you it that idiotic costume!"

"Excuse me!" said Vernon.

"That's enough, gentlemen!" said the lady behind the desk. "Just sign up and settle this with the director."

The two men wrote their names down on the list, and Kowalski looked over to say, "Don't take the rejection too hard. Only the real stars remain in the end."

"Zoro!" said the Zoroark.

* * *

 **Who's that Pokémon?**

 **It absorbs rays of sunlight and shoots it off as energy. The attack is capable of blowing away a mountain.**

* * *

Some time later, the director's assistant emerged from the door. "Is there a Vernon and a Kowalski in here?" she said.

"Hmm?" said Vernon.

"The director's time in this studio is running low," the assistant said, "so that's why he wants the two of you to audition at the same time."

"Very well," said Kowalski, standing up. "Let's do this."

"Don't worry about a thing, Vernon!" said Ash.

"We know you're going to do fine," said Serena.

"So do I," Vernon said confidently. However, as Vernon walked away, Floattery got in his way.

"What is it?" said Vernon.

Floattery pointed downwards to point at Vernon's armpits which were sweating, and how his hands were shaking. "What? You think I'm nervous?" said Vernon. "You're crazy, I've never felt better." He continued to walk forward, but Floattery looked unconvinced until it followed its trainer.

However, upon the roof, Team Rocket was looking down in the building with X-ray goggles, spotting the many superhero wannabes in the room, seeing all their Pokémon partners.

"I don't know about you guys," said Meowth, "but a room full of Pokémon who were trained to battle like superhero sidekicks sound awfully useful to me!"

"You said it, Meowth!" said Jessie. "Are you in, James?" However, she noticed that their blue-haired friend was looking all over the studio for some reason. "Hello? Earth to James!"

James happened to be looking around to see the other auditioners practicing, and found himself awfully entranced by the way they planted themselves into these new and exciting roles.

"James!" said Jessie.

James looked over to his friends, and said, "Oh, sure, let's do it!"

Jessie and Meowth nodded, and walked off the roof, but James let Choaking out of its Pokéball, and said, "The world of acting sounds like a thrill ride, doesn't it! What if _we_ were crime-fighting partners."

"Choaking!" Choaking said disapprovingly.

"Yeah, you're right!' said James. "The criminal life is the one for me! But still…"

* * *

Vernon, Floattery, Kowalski, and Zoroark entered the camera room, and witnessed the intimidation of the director.

"Nice to be here, Mister…" said Vernon.

"Cameron," said the director. "Now time is something I don't have. Get over their and tell me about your characters. And please, do not let me intimidate you in any way." As he said this, he straightened his posture, looking enormous.

"Okay," said Vernon, as he and Floattery walked to their place. "Well, I'm Toxicity, and this is my sidekick, the Blob! We meet after a near death experience in the woods, after the Blob lost its family, and I lost the rest of my Pokémon, and we found we make a good-"

"That's enough!" said Cameron, before pointing at Kowalski. "You're on!"

"I am Reverie! My partner, Zoroark, and I conjure up incredible illusions to fool the criminal underworld and bring them into a trap."

"I see," said Cameron. "Why don't the two of you show me your moves?"

"Okay, Floattery," said Vernon, "you know what to do!"

Floattery nodded and began spraying an Acid attack around the room by spinning like a top and sticking its tentacles upward. Zoroark transformed itself into a harmless looking Wooper, before unleashing a mighty Flamethrower in the air.

"Hmm," said Cameron. "You are both excellent choices. I know how to narrow it down." He grinned. "Fight each other!"

"What?" said Vernon and Kowalski simultaneously.

"I want to know who the tougher superhero is!" said Cameron. "I give you sixty seconds, dazzle me."

The two trainers shrugged and turned to face each other. "Floattery, use Acid," said Vernon.

Floattery began spraying Acid everywhere, but Kowalski said, "Make use of your illusions, Zoroark."

The Zoroark changed into a large Druddigon, and quickly used it's claw to swat Floattery away.

"Now use Torment!" said Kowalski. Zoroark changed back into its normal self and then put its hand to its hand, wagged it, and stuck out its tongue. Vernon growled, knowing that Floattery couldn't use Acid twice in a row.

"Use Night Slash!" Zoroark's claws glowed black and it made its way towards Floattery.

"Acid Armor!" Floattery's body turned into liquid, causing Zoroark's claws to pass through it. "Now use Headbutt!" Floattery then bashed itself into Zoroark's body, causing it to tumble backwards.

"Use Acid!"

"Use Night Daze!"

Floattery began spraying acid white Zoroark created a forcefield around itself before making it explode around the room. The result was both Pokémon being blasted backwards.

"Okay, I've seen enough," said Cameron. "You all can head back into the waiting room now."

* * *

 **It's Gigalith!**

Vernon and Floattery felt themselves getting anxious as they awaited Cameron's final decision. Eventually, the door swung open, Cameron came out, and he said, "Everyone, I've made my decision! I have selected… Mr. Kowalski's idea!"

"Yes!" Kowalski threw his hands up in the air, as he and his Pokémon celebrated.

"Vernon looked shocked, and when Cameron saw this, he said, "Hey, your idea was great, it just wasn't what I was looking for."

"No, that's okay," said Vernon.

"Are you okay, Vernon?" said Ash.

"I'm fine," Vernon mumbled. "It's just, I've been out of work for so long, and acting has always my passion. What if no one ever wants to hire me again? What if, I'm left to be a has-been?" Floattery took notice of its trainer's sour mood, and placed a tentacle on his shoulder.

Suddenly, there was a huge burst in the entrance. Everyone turned their heads to see some familiar faces coming in.

"Prepare for trouble, your act is so stale!" said Jessie. However, there was pause, and Jessie noticed that James was absent.

"Uh, I said, 'Prepare for trouble, your act is so stale!'" said Jessie.

"One minute!" said James from afar. He and Choaking appeared wearing wacky, yellow-and-green costumes, and James declared, "We are The Rocket Duo! The greatest supervillains of all time!"

"Choa-kiiiiiiing!" Choaking announced hammily.

"These guys again?" said Vernon. "Quick, guys, hide!" Ash, Serena, Pikachu, RotomDex, and Floattery nodded, and ducked behind a bunch of chairs.

"Seriously?" said Jessie. "You know what, we're doing the motto without you. Prepare for trouble, your act is so stale!"

"And make it double, we'll spin you our own tale!" declared Meowth.

"To protect the world from devastation!"

"To unite all people within our nation!"

"To denounce the evils of truth and love!"

"To extend our reach to the stars above!"

"Jessie!"

"And Meowth!"

"Team Rocket blasts off at the speed of light!"

"Give it up, or we'll send you packing! That's right!"

"Wobbuffet!"

"Quake in fear, fools!" said James, "for you are all no match for the strength of The Rocket Duo!"

"Look, if you're done playing dress up, we could use some help nabbing the superhero Pokémon here!" said Meowth.

"What do you think I'm doing?" said James. "Choaking, use Smog!"

"Choa-king!" said Choaking, as it spewed black smog all over the room. Once it had cleared, everyone was shocked to see that James had somehow nabbed all the auditioners' Pokémon in a thick net.

"How do you like me now?" said James.

Jessie and Meowth were honestly shocked and impressed. "Uh, great," said Jessie. "Then let's go." Thus, Team Rocket ran out the door.

"No!" yelled all the auditioners.

"You jerks!" yelled out Kowalski. "You stole my Zoroark!"

"Guys, we gotta do something!" said Serena as the group got out of hiding.

Vernon looked after Team Rocket with a steely gaze. "Actually, guys," he said, "Toxicity will handle this. C'mon, Floattery!"

Floattery nodded, and followed its trainer out the door, while their friends just looked at them confused.

* * *

"What do think?" said James. "I bet I could find outfits for all of you!"

"Absolutely not!" said Jessie.

"I hope you're not really going to steal those Pokémon," said a voice. Team Rocket turned their heads to see a shadowy man and his Pokémon.

"What's it to ya, punk!" said Meowth. "We're Team Rocket, it's what we do!"

"And stopping punks like you is what I do!" The man emerged. It was actually Vernon in disguise, but his Toxicity uniform was now all black. "Name's Toxicity. So, you wanna do this the easy way, or the hard way?"

"Erm, you don't know who you're messing with, pal!" said James. "You don't wanna mess with The Rocket Duo! Choaking, use Smog!"

"Choa-king!" Choaking emitted some more smog, but Vernon calmly said, "Floattery, use Thundershock."

Floattery's tentacles lit up and it discharged some electricity, with electrocuted the entire cloud of Smog, and Team Rocket within it. This caused their net of Pokémon to be thrown in the air, and to dangle from a branch.

"How did he do that!" said James.

"You dopes!" said Meowth! "That's no superhero! That's-"

But his words were cut off when Floattery wrapped its tentacles around Team Rocket with Wrap, and Vernon emotionlessly walked forward.

"You underestimated me," he said. "That was a mistake. Use Acid!"

"Floattery!" said Floattery, as it spewed Acid from its tentacles, causing Team Rocket to shoot up in the air.

"That guy is way to brooding to be a superhero," complained Jessie.

"I regret nothing!" said James. "Choaking and I were the best team!"

"Choaking!"

"We're blasting off again!"

* * *

"Vernon, you did it!" said Ash, running up to his friend.

"But where did you get that costume?" Serena had to ask.

"My Toxicity costume is reversible," said Vernon, opening the top of his shirt to reveal the purple side. "I wanted to know if Toxicity could be dark and brooding."

Meanwhile, the auditioners ran over to the net, hoping to get their Pokémon back. Vernon noticed this, and said, "Floattery, use Acid!"

Floattery sprayed its purple liquids at the tree branch, causing the net to fall down, and all the Pokémon to jump onto their respective trainers.

Zoroark leapt onto Kowalski, but the two fell backwards in a puddle of mud. "Aw, sick!" said Kowalski, as he and his Pokémon wiped themselves off.

"Hey, Kowalski," said an approaching Vernon. "You're welcome to thank me anytime."

Kowalski rolled his eyes as he sat up. "Well, I'm grateful that you saved Zoroark, but I still say that you're only second rate." He and his Pokémon walked away to clean themselves up.

"Mr. Vernon," said an approaching Cameron, "I still don't think your superhero is cut out for my talents, but your acting skills are impressive. You completely pulled the wool over the eyes of those crooks. I can't give you the starring role in my movie now, but I can give you this."

He handed Vernon a small sheet of paper, which read "Recommendation Slip", and had his signature on it.

"I don't understand?" said Vernon.

"The biggest director in all of Ralia, Mr. Robert Kennedy, he's holding a contest to find a crew for his biggest movie ever. That's why he's asking lesser directors like me to hand out Recommendation Slips like this one to sign and give people a recommendation to apply. You get three signatures from directors on that thing, you'll be allowed to audition."

"Me? Audition for a Robert Kennedy movie!?" said Vernon. "This is the greatest thing ever!"

Cameron smiled. "Well, I'm sure you can pull it off. If you'll excuse me, I'm late for dinner."  
Vernon looked over the paper in his hands as Ash and Serena walked up to him. "Robert Kennedy? Who is that?" asked Ash.

"Only the most important director in the world!" said Vernon. Glancing back at the slip, he added, "Though I wonder if I'm good enough to get a part."

"Are you kidding? Did you see that performance of yours?" said Ash. "If anyone can get a part in that movie, it's you!"

"Exactly!" said Serena. "You just need to have some confidence."

Vernon beamed. "Yes, you're right!" He made a pose and pointed into the air. "After all, I am Toxicity, only the greatest hero to ever live! Clearly, the world simply wasn't ready for me!"

"Maybe that's a little too much confidence," Serena sweatdropped.

 _Well, looks like Vernon's dream may have to wait, but as long as he never loses hope, I'm sure he'll come to soar! Anything's possible, as the journey continues!_

 **Sorry this chapter took so long, but at least now I'm sure you all know Vernon a little better. As always, review and follow!**


	8. Rival Survival!

**Confession time. The idea for a region based on Australia was mine, but I took some inspiration for it from a guy named Mr. Buddy on YouTube. And he's also the one who gave me the inspiration for Team Shade and a couple of my FakeMon. But no worries: I actually talked to him on Twitter and he's assured me he's cool with it. But my point is you guys should totally check out his video: "What If Australia was a Pok** **émon Region?" That video was a great inspiration to me, so you guys oughtta give Mr. Buddy some credit for this. Plus some Pokémon like Choaking, Solarfly, and Lunoth were inspired by fanart I'd seen. And I did not come up with the names Garnet and Jade.**

 **I'm a criminal, okay! I stole other people's property and lied to you by saying it was mine! Lock me up! Throw me in jail and throw away the key!**

 **...**

 **HA! Okay, I'm done now. But really, these other people are the ones who deserve credit. It's all over the Internet, so you must find them!**

* * *

"So, where to next fellas?" said Meowth. "We've got Pokémon to snatch!"

"Hold your Ponytas, Meowth," said Jessie, setting a suitcase down on a bench. "I need to finish my unpacking!"

"Did you really need to bring so many sweaters, Jessie?" James said.

"Sorry, but need to be prepared for every season," Jessie declared. As she opened the suitcase however, a small, pink, round blur popped out.

"Huh? What was that?" Jessie wondered aloud. Suddenly, the pink thing formed right in front of them, all three of them suddenly began to panic.

"No! Not you! ANYONE BUT YOU!" they cried.

* * *

 _Welcome back to Corwald City, where the time has come for Ash to challenge the gym for his first Ralia Gym Badge!_

Ash, Pikachu, Serena, Vernon, and RotomDex walked up to the Gym, a large orange building with a V-shaped symbol with a PokéBall in the middle at the top.

"Time make my first impression on the Ralia region!" Ash said with a determined look on his face. Pulling out his PokéBall, he threw it in the air and out came Humbeat, who flew down next to Pikachu on the ground.

"You guys ready for this?" Ash said.

"Pika!"

"Beat, Humbeat!"

"Then let's do it!" Ash knocked on the door and it was opened by a small Machop, who greeted them with, "Machop, Ma."

"Uh, hello?" Ash said, confused.

RotomDex quickly scanned the Pokémon and said, "Machop, the Superpower Pokémon. A Fighting Type. It undergoes difficult training in the mountains while attempting to master all forms of martial arts. It's entire body is muscle, with are never exhausted or strained. Evolves into Machoke at level 28 and into Machamp when traded."

"A Machop, huh?" said Serena. "This must be a Fighting-type Gym."

"Excuse me, but is the Gym Leader in?" said Vernon.

"Machop," Machop motioned for the group to follow him inside. The Superpower Pokémon led them through a large area where there were multiple martial artists sparring with each other, chopping wooden boards, or attempting to climb tall walls. They eventually saw a bunch of brick walls in their way, but Machop motioned for them to stand back as it suddenly used a Brick Break attack to chop through the first wall. They continued through a small maze, with Machop chopping through more walls, until finally, they made it to a man sitting down on a mat facing away from them.

"Um, excuse me, sir," said Ash. But the man did not move or acknowledge him. "Excuse us, hey!" Still nothing.

"I think he may be meditating, Ash," said RotomDex. "Perhaps we need to come back later?"

Suddenly, the man vanished in front of them. Shocked, Ash stepped backwards, until something knocked him down. He tried to get up, only to find a foot now on his chest, belonging to the mysterious man.

"Ughn," Ash groaned as he tried unsuccessfully to get the foot off. "What was that for?"

"You were not on guard, child," the man said. "That left you vulnerable. You must be prepared at all times." At this, the man got off of Ash and gave him a hand up. "I am Kai, the master of this fine dojo, but to you-" He pulled out a hidden necklace that had the Pokémon Gym logo an the end. "-I am the Gym Leader."

Kai was a relatively tall man with a white beard, a red bandana with a dragon on it wrapped around his head, and fighter's outfit and black belt around his torso.

"So you're the Gym Leader, huh?" said Serena. "What's with the necklace?"

"All Gym Leaders are required by the Pokémon League to wear them." Vernon explained.

"Do you do this to all your challengers?" said Serena.

"Only they ones who aren't prepared," said Kai. "This young grasshopper has much to learn." He turned around and walked towards the rest of the dojo. "I assume Machop has already shown you around?"

"I guess," said Ash, as he and the others followed him. "Is this your Machop?"

"Not quite," said Kai. "I brought him in from the wild and trained him to help challengers find their way around the Gym."

"Look, I came here for a Gym Battle, and if you're the Leader, then I challenge you to a battle!" insisted Ash.

"Patience, grasshopper," said Kai. He walked up to a section of the Gym where some of the martial artists climbing up the wall. One person in particular was trying to pull himself up but kept slipping down.

"Ugh, I give up, Sensei!" he said. "I've been trying for hours!"

"Young man," said Kai, putting his arm around him, "I believe your task for today was to get to the top of the wall. I never said you had to climb it."

"What do you mean?"

"Sometimes, the answer is lying in plain sight," said Kai. "Take a good look around."

The man looked around the area, until he spied a small trampoline lying nearby. "Of course!" he exclaimed, as he ran over to leap on the trampoline and launch himself onto the top of the wall.

"C'mon!" said Ash. "I've waited forever for this battle!"

"Hmm, no patience, can't block a simple backhand, perhaps you are no worthy of my teachings," said Kai, walking away with his eyes closed. "There is no need for me to fight you. Good day."

"What? Please, sir, I didn't mean-" Ash stammered.

Serena suddenly walked in front of him. "Please, sir, my friend is just a little impatient because he's been so excited about this battle. Cut him some slack. He needs this badge."

"Pokémon battles are not about fun," Kai insisted. "They are about discipline, about a Pokémon and its Trainer learning to think as one."

"Then teach me the way, Sensei!" Ash insisted.

Kai looked intensely at Ash's pleading eyes, until his closed his again and sighed, "Very well, follow me to the battlefield."

* * *

Ash faced Kai on the other end of a large area with Serena, Vernon, RotomDex, and Machop sitting on the bleachers up above. In between the two battlers, a student of the dojo stood on the end and said, "The battle between Master Kai, the Gym Leader, and Ash, the challenger, will now begin. Both combatants are allowed to use two Pokémon, and the battle will end once both Pokémon on either side are unable to battle. Also, only the challenger can swap out his Pokémon."

"Your move, grasshopper," Kai said simply.

"This is clearly a Fighting-type Gym," Ash muttered to himself, "so Humbeat, I choose you!"

"Huuumbeat!" said Humbeat as it soared into the arena.

"Then I will choose," said Kai as he pulled out a PokéBall and threw it, "Jumjoey!"

The PokéBall exploded as it turned into a blue Pokémon that resembled a young kangaroo, with boxing gloves on its fists, flattened ears, and a black stripe around its waist to resemble a belt.

"Who's that Pokémon?" said Ash aloud.

RotomDex quickly flew towards the arena and scanned the Pokémon. "Jumjoey, the Kick Pokémon. A Fighting Type. Jumjoeys are capable of jumping over seventeen times their own height. They join mobs of Brawllabys and Kangarumbles at a young age, but to earn the mob's respect, they must hone their kickboxing prowess. Evolves into Brawllaby at level 15 and into Kangarumble at level 30," RotomDex continued to explained this as he flew back and forth between the bleachers and the arena.

"I must ask you to refrain from flying into the arena during the battle!" Kai warned.

"Oops, sorry," RotomDex answered sheepishly.

Serena and Vernon decided to cast out their own Pokémon onto the bleachers, and Serena said to them, "Get ready, guys. This is gonna be so cool!"

Braixen and Floattery reacted enthusiastically, but Chrysaluxe quickly dived under the seats, still a little shy.

"Hey, come on out, Chrysaluxe!" Serena said, as she tried to pull the bug Pokémon out of there.

"Okay, battle begin!" said the referee.

 **BATTLE BEGIN!**

"You first, youngster," Kai said.

"Okay, Humbeat, use Wing Attack!" called Ash.

Humbeat's wings lit up and it charged forward. However, Kai simply said, "Leap," and Jumjoey leaped up into the air, easily soaring above Humbeat's attack.

"Now use Double Kick!" Jumjoey's soared downwards and kicked Humbeat down to the ground.

"Shake it off, Humbeat!" said Ash. "Use Drill Peck!" Humbeat quickly shook of its damage and began rapidly pecking at Jumjoey. However, the other Pokémon anticipated to attack, and was fast enough to dodge.

"You disappoint us," said Kai. "Now use Power-Up Punch!" Jumjoey's fist turned orange and launched Humbeat into the air.

At this point, Serena had reluctantly put Chrysaluxe back into its PokéBall, and turned around to see the battle. "Hang in there, Humbeat!"

"Razor Wind!" said Ash. Humbeat quickly shook off the Power-Up Punch and stirred up the wind to launch razor-sharp currents of air at its opponent. Jumjoey looked at its trainer and noticed a certain expression on his face. It nodded and closed its eyes. As the Razor Wind approached it, it simply jumped up and down to stay of the attack's way.

"It dodged an attack without even looking!?" said RotomDex shocked.

Vernon was staring at Kai. "Kai didn't even have to say anything. Is the trust between him and Jumjoey that strong?"

"C'mon, guys, pull it together!" called out Serena.

Ash was getting frustrated, and called out, "Use Drill Peck again!"

As Humbeat dove in for another attack, Kai and Jumjoey shared another look and as soon as Humbeat got close, Jumjoey used Power-Up Punch again and drove Humbeat into the ground.

"No! Humbeat!" said Ash.

"Focus Blast!" said Kai. Jumjoey charged up a blue energy shot between its hands and blasted it at Humbeat, and when the smoke cleared, Humbeat was lying on the ground with swirls in its eyes.

"Humbeat is unable to battle, Jumjoey wins!" called the ref.

"Humbeat!" Ash called out as he ran out onto the field and picked up his Pokémon. "I'm sorry. I wasn't thinking." He pulled out his PokéBall and returned the bird Pokémon. "Get some rest, okay?"

"I don't believe it," said Serena. "Ash and Humbeat didn't even get a single attack in!"

"If Kai and Jumjoey have trained together so well, Ash has gotta use his head if he wants to win, rather than just charging in like that," said Vernon.

* * *

"Sir, there is another trainer inside right now," said a lady outside the Gym. "You're gonna have to wait."

A young boy about Ash's age wearing glasses and having a black mop head of hair crossed his arms in front of him. "I came all this way and you're saying the someone beat me to it?"

"You are allowed to come in and see the fight going on if you like," the lady said.

"Very well," he said. "Maybe I should scope out the competition."

* * *

 **Who's that Pokémon?**

 **It's kicking mastery lets it loose 10 kicks per second. It emits sharp cries to intimidate foes.**

* * *

"Okay, Pikachu, I choose you!" said Ash, pointing his finger.

"Pikachu!" said Pikachu, leaping onto the battlefield.

"Use Thunderbolt!" said Ash.

Pikachu leaped into the air and lit up its body with electricity, unleashing a bolt of lightning at Jumjoey.

"Dig your tail into the ground," said Kai. Jumjoey did so, and the electricity was dispersed harmlessly into the ground when it did so.

Ash groaned and said, "Quick Attack!" Pikachu dashed forward, but this time, Jumjoey was not quick enough to dodge, and was launched across the battlefield.

"Awesome! Now follow up with Iron Tail!" said Ash. Pikachu's tail turned silver and started whacking Jumjoey across the face.

"Grab that tail!" said Kai. Jumjoey grabbed Pikachu's tail, causing Pikachu and Ash to gasp. "Now send it flying!"

The boy from outside suddenly arrived and began watching from the background. Jumjoey sent Pikachu flying back towards Ash. When the boy saw Ash, he thought, "Is that kid seriously trying to use a Pikachu here?"

"Use Quick Attack again!" Pikachu charged forward, but seeing the expression on Kai's face, Jumjoey fell backwards, lifting Pikachu up into the air with its feet, sending it crashing.

"Why wouldn't the kid use something with a type advantage?" thought the boy.

Ash groaned, and said, "Use Volt Tackle!" Pikachu charged at Jumjoey, who did not dodge this time, but instead, took the shot. Pikachu pushed it across the floor, but as soon as Volt Tackle wore off, Pikachu felt the recoil damage take place.

"Now, use Power-Up Punch!" Pikachu was hit with the attack, and stumbled over.

"No, Pikachu!" said Ash.

"Once more, Power-Up Punch!" Jumjoey hit Pikachu with the attack again, and this time, Pikachu couldn't get up.

"Pikachu is unable to battle! Jumjoey wins!" called the ref. "The victor is Master Kai, using only one Pokémon!"

"I see what Kai's plan was," said Vernon. "Power-Up Punch's power increases the more you use it."

"Precisely," said RotomDex.

"No, Pikachu!" Ash called, running out onto the battlefield. He held his partner in his hands, and Pikachu looked up at Ash squeaked an apologetic, "Pika."

"It's not your fault, Pikachu," said Ash. "We should just get you out of here."

"You have potential," said Kai. "A shame you could not apply it properly."

Ash just carried Pikachu up to the bleachers, where Serena and Vernon met up with him.

"It's okay, Ash," said Serena. "Let's just go to the Pokémon Center."

"Yeah, you're right," said Ash. The group walked out of the gym, somehow missing the the boy in the background.

"Pitiful," he said aloud. "Simply pitiful."

* * *

 **It's Combusken!**

* * *

"Okay, Mr. Ketchum, your Pokémon are all better now," said Nurse Joy. As her Squibble walked outside the treatment room, it inflated itself and allowed Pikachu and Humbeat to bounce off of its head. Pikachu landed in Ash's arms and Humbeat landed on his shoulder.

"I'm really glad you're all better, guys," said Ash, grinning. "I'm sorry about what happened in there."

"You certainly should be," came a voice. The group turned around to see the boy from the background, sitting in a chair. "You've got a lot to learn if you want to become a good trainer."

"And who are you?" said Vernon.

"Name's Florian." said the boy. "I saw your battle against Kai. Do you not know thing one about battling?"

"What, did you come all the way here just to make fun of me?" said Ash. "I gave it my best shot and Kai just had a different battling style than I'm used to."

"Not a great first day as a trainer, eh?" said Florian.

"Actually, I've been a trainer for a long time now." said Ash.

"Well, that's just sadder," said Florian. "Been trainer so long and you fail at the first Gym? Why not use one of your oldest Pokémon?"

"I wanted to get used to the Pokémon of this region," said Ash.

"Surely, your starter could have at least pulled it off."

"Actually, Pikachu here is my starter."

"Wow. Just wow," said Florian. "You've kept your Pikachu this long and yet it's still not tough enough. Maybe you should try to evolve it, at least?"

"Pikachu doesn't want to evolve. And that's because he doesn't need to!" said Ash. Pikachu started glaring at Florian at this, electricity emitting from it's cheeks.

"Look, kid," said Florian, "If you really want to win battles, you've gotta show some concern for it!"

"Hey, I don't need to listen to this!" said Ash. "I just wanna get ready for the rematch against Kai."

"You know what, kid?" said Florian, standing up. "You want me to show you what I mean? Why don't we have a battle right now?"

"Fine by me!" said Ash, glaring. Pikachu leapt onto the ground and charged itself up with electricity.

* * *

Ash and Florian stood on opposite sides of a parking lot, getting ready to battle. Florian pulled out a PokéBall and threw it, saying, "Deino, to battle!" A white flash of light transformed into a large Deino, which growled in Ash's direction.

RotomDex scanned the Pokémon and said, "Deino, the Irate Pokémon. A Dark and Dragon Type. Since it cannot see, it constantly bites things to get a good feeling of its surroundings. Evolves into Zweilous at level 50 and into Hydreigon at level 64."

"Alright," said Ash, "Pikachu, I choose you!" Pikachu leapt off his shoulder and entered the battlefield.

"You're going with that Pikachu again?" said Florian. "Don't you know Dragon types resist Electric types?"

"That doesn't matter," said Ash. "Pikachu has handled type disadvantages before and he can do it now."

"Pika, pi!" Pikachu said furiously.

"I hope Ash knows what he's doing," said Vernon. "He's gotta think things through, or it'll just be the Gym Battle all over again."

"C'mon, Ash! Pikachu!" Serena called out. "Show them what you can do!"

"Glad your girlfriend's giving you the vote of confidence," Florian said.

"Wha- she's not my girlfriend!" Ash insisted, trying to shake it off.

In the background, a certain Charmor of a different color emerged its head from behind a nearby bush, intrigued by the approaching battle. "Char..." it muttered to itself.

 **BATTLE BEGIN!**

"Pikachu, use Quick Attack!" said Ash.

"Pika, pika!" Pikachu's body was outlined in white, and it charged towards Deino. However, when the attack made contact, Deino didn't even flinch.

"It just took the attack?" said RotomDex. "Incredible!"

"Deino and I have been training together since I was five, kid!" said Florian. "Believe it or not, we know more about battles than just that. And Quick Attack will not faze him."

"Deino," Deino growled.

"Now use Dragon Rage!" Deino's mouth opened and it launched a blue sphere of energy at Pikachu.

"Pikachu, look out!" said Ash. Pikachu ducked, and the attack just barely missed.

"Use Slam!" called Florian. Deino leapt up into the air prepared to bring its tail down on Pikachu.

"Block it with Iron Tail!" said Ash. Pikachu's tail turned a metallic silver and blocked the attack.

"Now use Thunderbolt!" Pikachu's whole body lit up and it unleashed a bolt of lightning at Deino, shocking him intensely. "Pi-ka-chu!"

Deino shuddered for a breif moment, but it looked back at Pikachu nonetheless. "Show 'em what you got Deino!" called Florian. "Use Dragon Rush!" Deino's body was covered in a purple aura and it flew towards Pikachu, knocking him back. Fortunately, Pikachu was able to quickly shake it off.

"Don't give up, Pikachu!" said Ash. "Use Iron Tail again!" Pikachu ran up to Deino and began bashing its face across with several Iron Tail.

"Use Crunch!" said Florian. Deino prepared to move, but suddenly, its body lit up with yellow sparks. "What?" said Florian.

"What was that?" said Serena.

"It must have been Pikachu's ability, Static!" said RotomDex. "If an opponent makes contact with it, it may get paralyzed!"

"If he's paralyzed..." Ash thought. "Pikachu, use Electro Ball!"

"Pika!" Pikachu formed a ball of lightning on the end of its tail, and hit Deino in the neck with it. Thanks to Deino's now lowered speed, the attack did much more damage. In the background, an impressed Charmor's face lit up with amazement. "Char, char!" it said to itself.

"Grr," said Florian. "Can't lose... Use Dragon Breath!" Deino was able to hit Pikachu with a torrent of purple and blue flames.

"Use Iron Tail again!" said Ash. Pikachu's tail turned silver again and tried to attack, but Florian called for Crunch, and Deino caught Pikachu's tail in its mouth.

"Now send it flying!" Deino tossed Pikachu in the air, but Ash called for a Thunderbolt, and Pikachu blasted Deino with electricity again before landing painfully on the ground. At this point, both Deino and Pikachu struggled to get up.

"Gotta finish this quick..." thought Ash. "Use Volt Tackle!" Pikachu charged forward, being surrounded in a veil of arrow-shaped electricity.

"Use Dragon Rush!" Florian commanded. Deino charged forward with Dragon Rush once again, and the two collided, the ground underneath them crumbled. Pikachu and Deino glared and growled at each other, their foreheads touching, both pushing back against the other. Suddenly, there was an small explosion, and when the dust cleared...

... both Pikachu and Deino were lying on the ground with swirls in their eyes.

"That's it!" said RotomDex. "It's a tie!"

Both trainers ran out onto the field and grabbed their Pokémon and secretly looked at each other in shock.

* * *

After they both got their Pokémon back from Nurse Joy, they wandered over towards the Gym again.

"So, you've got some skills, I'll admit," said Ash.

"Thanks," said Florian. "But you, my friend, only got lucky."

"Excuse me!?" said Ash, before Vernon grabbed his shoulder.

"Ash, c'mon, he's not worth it," said Vernon.

Suddenly, they witnessed a pink blur rush past them, and everybody looked around confused. Suddenly, the blur landed right in front of them, and Ash and Pikachu were horrified when they saw-

"Jigglypuff!" Ash screamed. Jigglypuff was simply overjoyed to see it had an audience again and pulled out its microphone to sing, "Jig-gly-puff, ji-ggly, jig, jigglypuff."

* * *

Ash and Pikachu woke up to see Vernon, Serena, and RotomDex looking over him concerned.

"Ash, you're okay!" Serena smiled.

"Ugh, how long?" muttered Ash, as he massaged his head.

"About fifteen minutes," said Vernon. "That Jigglypuff was a feisty one, eh?"

"Aw, no," said Ash. "Does that mean-"

"Oh, yes," said RotomDex, turning to selfie camera mode and showing Ash and Pikachu the embarrassing scribbles now on their faces.

Serena couldn't help but giggle. "It's not funny!" Ash insisted.

"Sorry, guys," said Serena. "It's almost adorable what happened!"

"Wait," Ash realized, "how come you guys have no scribbles on your faces?"

"We plugged our ears," said Vernon. "You only fall asleep if you hear the song. Everyone knows that. Why didn't you guys cover _your_ ears?"

Ash and Pikachu looked at each other, and Ash wondered out loud, "Yeah, why didn't we?"

Suddenly, the doors to the Gym opened, and out come Florian. He spotted Ash on the ground, and slowly burst out laughing. "I still can't believe a little, old Jigglypuff did that to you!"

"So, what, you went into that Gym while I was unconscious?" said Ash.

"Yep."

"So now you see how hard it was for me?"

"Nope," said Florian. He held out a badge shaped like a flexed, muscular arm. "Read it and weep, kid. The Muscle Badge."

"What? How?" said Ash, standing up.

"Simple," said Florian. "Unlike you, kid, I'm not a fool."

Ash growled and said, "Stop calling me, kid! It's Ash! Ash Ketchum!"

"Well, Ash Ketchum," said Florian, walking away, "I'm afraid I've got more battles to fight. Of course, if you ever want my advice, just give up. Go home. You're training, your Pokémon battling, you're nothing but a joke!"

As Florian left, Ash was left steaming, but Serena told him, "Don't listen to him, Ash! I know you, and I know you're a lot better than he gives you credit for!"

Ash slumped his shoulders and looked downward, and said, "I don't know, Serena. I just wish victory came as easily to me as it did to him."

"It could, you just need a little training," said a voice. The group turned around to see Kai in the Gym's doorway. "I see your weaknesses, but I can help you hone your skills, and counter them. Why don't you come with me? I will train you and your Pokémon to become powerful."

Ash looked to his friends, and then back at Kai. "Okay, just let me wash off the marker first."

"Yes, please do," said Kai.

* * *

Team Rocket suddenly woke up to see the marking Jigglypuff left on their faces. "Well, that was just embarassing," said Meowth.

Suddenly, a communicator in James's pocket began buzzing. He pulled it out and turned it on, showing an image of Giovanni on the screen.

"I'm glad I caught you three," Giovanni said, "because I need- wait, what's wrong with your faces?"

"Don't wanna talk about it," James said.

Giovanni shook his head and said, "Whatever, I have a little job I need you to do. You're in Corwald City right now, right?" Jessie, James, and Meowth nodded. "Perfect. I have a very important mission for you to complete. So try not to mess this up!"

"You can count on us, boss!" the Team Rocket trio said in unison. Suddenly, however, Jigglypuff hopped up on to the bench and grinned at seeing Team Rocket again. It pulled out its microphone and sang, "Jig-gly-puff, ji-ggly, jig, jigglypuff."

"No, not... again..." said Jessie, feeling groggier by the second. Soon enough, she and her teammates fell over and fell asleep again.

"What're you..." said Giovanni, before Jigglypuff's song slowly got to him too. At this Jigglypuff got angry, and took the cap off of its microphone to turn it into a marker, and began doodling on the screen with Giovanni's image on it.

 _Quite a day, huh? Ash seems to have found a new rival, but can he train hard enough to defeat Kai and earn his Muscle Badge? And what could Team Rocket be up to? Answers to come as the journey continues!_

 **TO BE CONTINUED...**

* * *

 **By the way, that Machop was an idea I had for the games. In each Gym, you will be given a Pokémon to assist you through the Gym's maze. Here, the Machop will use Brick Break to get brick walls out of the way.**


	9. Beaten to the Punch!

_Ash has unfortunately lost his battle against Kai, but Kai has a plan to train Ash into victory._

Kai was leading Ash, Pikachu, and the others through his Gym until he brought them to a room full of students practicing their moves on inflatable practice dummies shaped like Snorlaxes.

"I don't understand," said Ash. "How are you gonna train me and my Pokémon?"

Kai suddenly stopped walking and held up a finger, without turning around to face Ash. "Grasshopper, if you really want to learn how to battle, I will need you to be silent, and you must do everything I tell you without question, understand?" He then walked over to a training dummy and said, "I want you to send out your Pokémon and put this dummy down."

Ash looked at him weirdly, but then shrugged and sent out Humbeat, and said, "Humbeat, Pikachu, I want you to use Wing Attack and Iron Tail on that dummy and knock it over."

Pikachu and Humbeat nodded, and their tail and wings respectively glowing and then moving to attack the dummy. They bashed the dummy again and again, but then the dummy just bounced right back, and managed to bat Humbeat away, with Pikachu barely dodging it. Frustrated, the two both whacked harder, but were met with the same results.

"Okay, guys, stop!" Ash said, and the two Pokémon ceased their attacks and looked back at him. "I don't get it," Ash said, looking at Kai. "What exactly do you want us to do?"

"Have some patience for once, my boy," said Kai. "This is your biggest problem. You rarely think about the problem before to attempt to tackle it."

"But you said knock it down."

"If a tree falls into the river, does it make the water stop flowing?"

"Huh?" said Ash.

"The answer is no. The water simply makes a new path around the tree."

"I don't understand a word this guy says," Vernon complained.

"Ash, my child, I ordered you to put this dummy down. But I never said how."

Ash concentrated on what he said, until he noticed the small plug on the side of the dummy's head. "Hey, guys, unplug that plug over there."

Humbeat and Pikachu looked confused, but Humbeat decided to fly over and plug the plug off with its beak. The dummy immediately deflated with a loud hissing sound, and fell forward, and Pikachu used its tail to push it over on its side.

"Congrats, you figured it out, youngster!" Kai congratulated.

"That's it?" said Ash. "That wasn't even fighting! _I_ could've done that!"

"Silence!" said Kai. "Now onto step two."

* * *

"Now, we will require assistance from my dear friend," said Kai, as he pulled out a PokéBall. He opened it and out came a small, black Pokémon, who had a square head, stubby arms and legs, two, piercing red eyes underneath a red bandana it wore around its face, and a red belt around its waist. It had the appearance of the world's tiniest ninja.

RotomDex quickly scanned it and read out, "Kuninja, the Stealth Pokémon. A Dark and Fighting type. Kuninja can spend hours upon hours meditating in order to keep its mind completely clear. Despite its diminutive size, it is a master of stealth and can flip opponents as heavy as a Hariyama. Evolves into Kunobi when traded while holding a Black Belt."

The little Kuninja quickly got into a fighting stance, saying, "Nin, Kuninja!"

"Alright, now we're talking!" said Ash excitedly.

"Hold it!" said Kai. "I want you to find him."

Kuninja suddenly used Haze, which caused it to disappear. It was nowhere to be found once the smoke cleared.

"Where is it, my boy?" said Kai. "The clock is ticking."

Ash looked all over the arena frustrated, but Pikachu couldn't help but feel like he could hear something. He quickly concentrated on that sound, and looked towards a nearby staircase. It quickly ran over and saw Kuninja hiding under the first stair, slowly scraping a tiny kunai knife on the floor, creating an only barely audible sound.

"Pika, Pikachu!" Pikachu called out. Ash and Humbeat quickly ran over and spotted the Stealth Pokémon, as Kai then strolled over and said, "Hmm, I'd say Pikachu gets the point of this exam. Do you?"

"Um, that Pikachu noticed the sound of the knife?" said Ash.

"Not just the sound," said Kai. "Paying close attention. Now for your third test."

* * *

Kai led the group into the training section of the Gym, where various students were attempting to dodge balls launched at them by tennis ball machines. The group was led to one tennis ball machine that happened to be operated by the Machop from earlier.

"This one is simple," Kai explained. "Simply ask your Pokémon to dodge the tennis balls. Get them to the other side of the machine."

"Sounds easy enough," said Ash.

"Begin!" ordered Kai. Machop nodded and turned the machine on, and tennis balls were launched towards Ash's Pokémon.

"Pikachu, move faster with Quick Attack!" Ash ordered. Pikachu was outlined in white and raced forward, but it didn't take long for it to get pummeled by the balls.

"Pikachu, no!" said Ash, concerned, when he noticed that Humbeat was now flying into the fray. "Humbeat! Wait! I didn't say start!"

"I can tell your Humbeat is very independent," Kai said simply. "It is important that both the Trainer and their Pokémon stay on their toes, but why control someone who is not meant to be controlled?"

Ash looked confused, until he noticed Humbeat was already about halfway through. Oddly enough, it was flying completely straight. Slowly, he stared at the bird Pokémon, until he got a feeling of what Humbeat was going through. Concentrating, he noticed one tennis ball coming Humbeat's way, and shouted, "Humbeat, left!" Humbeat dodged to the left, exactly as Ash had expected. Ash did notice a few more tennis balls about to hit Humbeat, but with his orders, Humbeat dodged them all and made it to the other side.

"Excellent," said Kai. "Now for your Pikachu."

Ash nodded and told Pikachu to run straight forward. He concentrated hard on Pikachu as the Mouse Pokémon raced through, until he noticed several tennis balls about to fall on Pikachu.

"Pikachu, use Iron Tail!" Ash called out. "Knock those tennis balls back where they came from!" Pikachu leapt into the air and its tail turned metallic silver, and it bashed the incoming tennis balls away. In doing so, the knocked-away balls collided with some of the other balls in the air, causing them to roll over towards Machop, Ash audibly gasped at that, as he had been noticing those other balls at that exact moment.

Pikachu was almost to the other side, and above the area on the rafters was the shiny Charmor, carefully observing the scenario in front of it. Suddenly, it noticed that one tennis ball in particular was about to land on Pikachu. In a panic, it emitted a small Smokescreen attack, so small, one could not see it. But it landed right in front of Pikachu, and some smoke seeped into its eyes. Pikachu blinked in response, but it almost fell backwards in the process. It suddenly used its tail to slide on its backside, right underneath the tennis ball that was about to hit it.

Finally, Pikachu made it to the other side, and Charmor secretly cheered in the background.

"Fantastic!" Kai applauded. "You've passed all the tests!"

"What?" said Ash, confused. "That's it? But we barely did anything! We never even practiced fighting."

"Grasshopper," said Kai. "Everything you witnessed in your training, believe it or not, was exactly what you needed to win a fight with me. If you trust me, then we can have our rematch right now."

Ash looked confused, but after looking towards his Pokémon, giving him encouraging grins, he nodded at Kai and said, "Alright, then let's do it."

* * *

 **Who's that Pokémon?**

 **It works in large colonies, where it links its tails with other of its kind to form rings, apparently in friendship.**

* * *

Ash and Kai were once again standing on opposite sides of the battle arena, with Serena, Vernon, RotomDex, and Machop sitting on the bleachers to the side. Serena and Vernon decided to let Braixen and Floattery out again so that they could observe the match.

"The rematch between Ash, the challenger, and Kai, the Gym Leader, will now commence," said the referee. You both know the rules, so let's begin!"

"Guys, I'll be honest," said Serena. "I have no idea what Ash was supposed to be learning in his training."

"Me neither, Serena," said Vernon. "And frankly, I bet Ash doesn't know either."

"Well, he'd better learn fast!" said RotomDex.

"I will start with you, Kuninja!" Kai said, whipping out his PokéBall and causing Kuninja to appear in the arena.

"Kuninja!" said Kuninja, getting into its battle stance.

"Looks like Kai's changing the strategy now," said Serena. "We haven't even seen what Kuninja can do."

"Humbeat, I choose you!" Ash cried as he threw Humbeat's PokéBall into the arena. Humbeat appeared and quickly gained a game face for the battle."

"Okay, battle begin!" called the ref.

 **BATTLE BEGIN!**

"Humbeat, use Wing Attack!"

Humbeat flew straight forward, its wings glowing white. However, Kai simply said, "Disappear!" Kuninja once again used Haze to vanish, causing Humbeat to simply fly through a plume of smoke. It then looked back and forth, wondering what just happened.

"Now use Karate Chop!" Humbeat didn't even have time to blink when Kuninja quickly reappeared behind it and used a Karate Chop to bash down to the floor. Humbeat turned around, but saw that Kuninja had disappeared again.

"Get off the ground, Humbeat!" Ash ordered. Humbeat quickly soared upwards, and that's when Ash heard some movement surrounding the battlefield.

"Humbeat! It's coming down behind you!" Ash warned. "Fly away!"

However, when Humbeat spotted Kuninja appearing behind him, it instead decided to fly straight towards the other Pokémon. Unfortunately, both Kai and Kuninja anticipated this, and, after sharing a brief glance with its trainer, it used Karate Chop again, sending Humbeat flying down to the floor.

"Humbeat, I told you to dodge!" Ash yelled.

"Youngster, what have I told you before?" Kai stated. Ash looked confused for a second, until he remembered what Kai had told him earlier. " _Why control someone who is not meant to be controlled?_ "

All of a sudden, Kuninja had disappeared, and Humbeat was flapping around the arena frustrated and trying to find it. Ash's eyes darted around until he heard some similar sounds. Suddenly, he had an idea.

"Humbeat, I need you to wait for my signal, then attack!" he called out. "Just pay attention to what I say!" Humbeat looked at its trainer confused, but then slowly nodded.

"He wants to attack?" Serena said. "That didn't work the first time." She paused. "Unless he's planning something..."

Ash noticed the sounds coming up right above Humbeat, so he quickly said, "Humbeat, above you!" Humbeat looked up to see Kuninja appear above it, and quickly soared upwards to attack again.

Kai said, "Karate Chop again!"

Kuninja prepared its attack, but Ash called, "Shoot Razor Wind at it!" Humbeat took half a second to register the thought, but then launched cuts of air at Kuninja.

"Use Karate Chop to deflect!" yelled Kai. Kuninja began deflecting the Razor Wind cuts away, but this unfortunately did not leave time for it to react to Humbeat getting in close.

"Now use Wing Attack and knock it to the ground!" Ash called. Humbeat's wings glowed white and they sent Kuninja falling to the ground. As it stood up, it lay there dazed.

"Quickly, use Drill Peck!" Ash called out. Humbeat quickly flew down, and rapidly pecked Kuninja's face, making it stumble backwards.

"Kuninja, vanish!" Kai called out. Kuninja used Haze again, and vanished into thin air, causing Humbeat to dart its eyes all over the arena looking for it.

"Don't let it confuse you this time, Humbeat," said Ash. "Just listen closely, like before!"

Humbeat then remembered the earlier training, where Pikachu managed to find Kuninja by listening for it. It then landed and sat still, listening for the slightest movement. Then, it could just barely hear a tiny footstep on the wooden floor.

"If you can hear, then use Wing Attack!" Ash cried out. Humbeat soared forward, and found Kuninja's hiding place, off the arena behind a piece of wood. It nailed Kuninja with another Wing Attack, forcing it out of its hiding place.

"Impressive," said Kai, "so you _did_ learn from training. But we have one more trick up our sleeves. Kuninja, Double Team!"

"Kuninja!" Kuninja suddenly multiplied itself into many copies, which surrounded Humbeat and began running in a circle to confuse the bird Pokémon. Humbeat began moving its head back and forth, until Kai called for a Dark Pulse attack.

"Humbeat, duck!" Ash cried out, but Humbeat was still hit with the attack on the back of its head, as all the copy Kuninjas faded away.

Ash grunted in frustration, until he noticed Kuninja was only a few feet away from Humbeat. Suddenly, as he replayed the scene of Kuninja copies running in a circle in his mind, he had an idea. "Humbeat, quick! Use Wing Attack, but aim for the legs this time!"

Humbeat quickly jumped up and used Wing Attack, and struck Kuninja in the ankles, causing it to fall backwards.

"Shake it off, Kuninja," said Kai. "Use Double Team again!"

Kuninja once more made clones of itself, and they tried running in a circle, but one Kuninja suddenly fell over. At that, all the copies disappeared, and Ash and Humbeat noticed the mark on its ankle.

"Brilliant!" said RotomDex excitedly. "Attacking the legs made it difficult for it to run!"

"Now use Drill Peck!" said Ash. Humbeat charged forward and rapidly pecked at Kuninja with a super effective attack. Kuninja stumbled backwards until its hurt legs made it fall over again, and Ash called for a Razor Wind attack. Cuts of air rained down on top of Kuninja, causing it to finally fall on its back, knocked out.

"Kuninja is unable to battle! Humbeat wins!" called the referee.

"You did it, Humbeat!" Ash said, pumping his fists in the air, and Humbeat flew back towards its trainer excitedly to celebrate.

Kai walked out on the battlefield and picked up Kuninja in his arms, who looked up at its trainer apologetically.

"You did a fine job, Kuninja. Now you need to take it easy, okay?" Kai calmly recalled Kuninja into its PokéBall.

He then returned to his side of the arena, and pulled out his second PokéBall. "So far you have learned well, grasshopper. I never thought Kuninja could be made to lose its balance like that. Before the next match, I must find a way to protect Kuninja from that happening again."

"So I guess we did get something out of training," Ash said to Humbeat, and Pikachu to the side.

"Training should never stop," Kai explained. "A Pokémon Battle can only be won if a Trainer and Pokémon truly understand each other. Like me and Kuninja. I knew that its best skill was stealth, so I trained it around that. And thanks to matches like these, I learn its weaknesses, too. It is my duty to protect my Pokémon on the battlefield."

Ash thought back to when Humbeat had ignored its orders on the battlefield, rushing in. Ash didn't even realize it, but listening to Humbeat's strategy of flying straight in was what allowed him to find his fool-proof counter-strategy against Kuninja. He understood what Kai was saying. He needed to trust his Pokémon's own skills and obey them as much as his Pokémon obeyed him.

"You're right about that," he said to Kai. "I guess Humbeat's own grit and determination gets us even farther than before, huh?" He glanced up to Humbeat, who nodded in agreement.

"Your lesson is far from over, grasshopper," said Kai. He tossed out his second PokéBall, which sent out white light and transformed into a familiar kangaroo Pokémon named Jumjoey.

"Jumjoey!" it cried out as it jumped up and down, ready for another fight.

"So its back to Jumjoey, huh?" Ash said before looking to Humbeat. "Whadda ya think? You good for round 2?"

Humbeat triumphantly landed on the battlefield again, spreading out its wings as if to say, "I'm ready!"

"Great!" Ash grinned. "Then let's do it! Use Wing Attack!"

Humbeat soared forward again, but Kai simply said, "Leap," and Jumjoey leaped off the ground, leaving behind a stunned Humbeat.

"Man, that Jumjoey can hop!" said Serena in awe.

"And worse, Humbeat no longer has an aerial advantage when it comes to jumping skills like that," Vernon mused.

"Use Double Kick!" Jumjoey came crashing back down towards Humbeat its feet outstretched. Humbeat narrowly dodged, but then Kai called for a Power-Up Punch, which sent Humbeat flying.

"Humbeat!" Ash cried out. Jumjoey came forward and was ordered another Power-Up Punch, and this time when it hit, Humbeat fell to the floor and could not get up again.

"Humbeat is unable to battle! Jumjoey wins!" called out the ref.

"Humbeat!" Ash raced out onto the battlefield and picked up his Pokémon in his arms. "You did such a good job out there. Thanks. Here, you should rest now," he said quietly as he recalled Humbeat into its PokéBall.

He returned to his end of the arena and looked back at Pikachu, who looked up to its trainer with a fierce determination in its eyes. Ash grinned and nodded and said, "Alright, buddy, it's up to you now! I choose you!"

Pikachu jumped out onto the field, its cheeks emitting sparks of electricity.

* * *

 **It's Ambipom!**

* * *

"Alright, Pikachu," said Ash, "use Thunderbolt!"

"Pi-ka-chu!" Pikachu jumped into the air and let out a surge of electricity towards Jumjoey. However, Jumjoey only looked at the look on its Trainer's face before knowing it had to leap. It soared high up into the air.

"Grr," Ash groaned. "There must be someway to beat its jumping ability."

"Use Double Kick!" Kai called, and Jumjoey came crashing down, knocking Pikachu back with its feet. Pikachu found itself skidding backwards on its back, a few feet away from were Jumjoey had landed.

"Now use Focus Blast!" Kai called. Jumjoey charged up a blue energy shot it between its hands, and it blasted Pikachu in the face with it. Despite this, Pikachu stood back on all four, as determined as ever.

Ash felt his hands shaking, as his brain struggled to put together a plan. But he knew that Jumjoey was so fast, and so jumpy, it was impossible to get in close.

Serena seemed to notice Ash's worried face, so she quickly yelled out to him, "C'mon, Ash, you're not gonna give up now are you?"

Ash turned to Serena surprised, while a certain Charmor of a different color peeked out from underneath the bleachers. "Just remember the training!" Serena continued, grinning encouragingly. "I think I got it!"

"Hey!" Kai yelled. "You are not allowed to coach him!"

Serena looked sheepish for a second, but looked back at Ash and said, "You can figure it out, Ash! I believe in you guys! Don't give up until it's done, right?"

Ash looked back at Serena, but suddenly gained his iconic look of determination, nodded at her, and turned back to Pikachu. "Serena's right, Pikachu. We can do this! We'll find a way. We always do!"

"Pi, Pika!"

"Use Quick Attack!"

Pikachu charged forward outlined in white, and managed to bash Jumjoey back. Kai ordered Jumjoey to hop and use Double Kick again. Within an instant, it was off the ground and plummeting downward towards Pikachu.

Ash looked on, struggling to come up with a strategy. Then, as Serena's words echoed in his brain, he suddenly remembered what Kai had said earlier.

" _If a tree falls into the river, does it make the water stop flowing? The answer is no. The water simply makes a new path around the tree. Sometimes, the answer is lying in plain sight._ "

A lightbulb suddenly went off in Ash's head. "If we can't take it, Pikachu, we'll just go around it! Stay still and draw it in!"

Pikachu looked confused, but it listened to its trainer and remained motionless. As Jumjoey drew closer, Pikachu watched it intently, until finally, Ash yelled, "Now use your tail as a springboard to jump!"

Pikachu leaned back, compressed its tail against the ground, and the released it to launch itself into the air. Jumjoey was shocked as Pikachu soared passed it.

"Now use Iron Tail and send it crashing!" called Ash. Pikachu's tail turned metallic silver and it came down on Jumjoey's head. As a result it fell much faster, and it crashed into the floor so hard, it broke a hole in the wood and was stuck at the waist.

"Incredible!" said RotomDex frantically. "They figured out how to use Jumjoey's inertia against it!"

"It's stuck now!" Ash said overjoyed. "Use Iron Tail, again!"

Pikachu began slapping Jumjoey with its tail, but Kai yelled, "Power-Up Punch!" Jumjoey was able to knock Pikachu back, but Ash simply called for a Volt Tackle. Pikachu shot forward, surrounded in an arrow-shaped veil of electricity, and ran into Jumjoey so hard, it knocked it out of the hole.

"Quick, let's finish this!" said Ash. "Use-"

But suddenly, Jumjoey began to glow. Slowly it grew bigger, it turned gray-colored, gained black fur around its eyes to resemble a mask, and gained longer feet for kicking.

"I don't believe it!" said RotomDex. "Jumjoey evolved!" Quickly, it scanned Jumjoey and said, "Brawllaby, the Kickboxer Pokémon. A Fighting Type. In a mob of their own kind, they are then in charge of gathering food and training the younger Jumjoeys. It is their responsibility to gather young Jumjoeys to join the mob, and they only allow those that can defeat them in a kickboxing match to join. Evolves from Jumjoey at level 15 and into Kangarumble at level 30."

"Incredible," Kai said, suddenly out of breath. "Brawllaby!"

Brawllaby stood up into a fighting pose, pointing its fists towards Pikachu, who was now only half its opponent's size. Kai nodded and said, "Use Double Kick!"

Brawllaby leaned back on its tail, and kicked Pikachu away. At this point, Pikachu was having difficulty standing up.

"Pikachu, hang in there!" Ash cried out.

"Now, use Focus Blast!" Brawllaby shot a blue burst of energy towards Pikachu, who only barely dodged it.

"Don't give up, Pikachu!" Ash said. "Use Quick Attack!"

"Give Pikachu a barrage of Focus Blasts, Brawllaby!" Brawllaby rapidly began chucking out Focus Blasts at a charging Pikachu, and Ash grew worried again.

That is, until he remembered the training from earlier. Pikachu had avoided some of the tennis balls by sliding on its tail. "Pikachu, quick! Slide on your tail, like before!" Pikachu quickly let itself fall back on its tail, sliding like a sled beneath the Focus Blasts. Above, Charmor was secretly cheering that it was able to teach Pikachu how to do that.

"Awesome!" said Serena. "They got their training down!"

"Now use Volt Tackle to speed up!" Ash called. Pikachu was surrounded with electricity as it charged forward again. "Use Iron Tail to fight your way through!" Pikachu began slapping Focus Blasts away with its tail, until it appeared directly in front of a shocked Brawllaby.

"Go!" Ash cried. Pikachu charged straight into Brawllaby's chest, knocking it backward. Although Pikachu felt the recoil damage, Brawllaby landed on its back, and the dust cleared to show it now had swirls in its eyes.

"Brawllaby is unable to battle! Pikachu wins!" called the referee.

"Alright, you did it, Pikachu!" Ash cheered as his Pokémon leaped into his arms in excitement.

"Yes, I knew they could do it!" Serena cheered.

"An incredible battle!" said RotomDex. "Data updated."

"I'm totally blown away," said Vernon.

Kai slowly walked up to his fallen Pokémon, gently stoked its head, and said, "Thank you for trying so hard, Brawllaby. You truly have a warrior's spirit," before recalling it.

* * *

The group stood outside the gym, with Humbeat, Kuninja, and Brawllaby now outside of their PokéBalls.

"I'd say the student has become the master," said Kai. "Now you see what I've been trying to teach you all along, grasshopper?"

"Exactly," said Ash. "I need to trust my Pokémon, and remember to be like the water. Flow around every obstacle and work very hard to do it."

"Precisely," said Kai. "There are no shortcuts to success, but when you apply your skills and your strengths, you will always find a way. You adapt and continue to fight. I can tell from our battle that you understand that. And for that..." Machop slowly approached with a small, open box. Kai pulled out a badge shaped like a muscular, flexed arm. "...I present to you the Muscle Badge."

"Thanks so much, Kai," Ash said, as he took the badge. He triumphantly held it in the air. "Alright! I just got the Muscle Badge!"

"Pika, Pi!"

"Hum, hum!"

Ash pulled out a rectangular box Nurse Joy had given him when he registered for the Ralia League and opened it to reveal four empty slot on one half of the Badge case, and four more for the other half. He snapped his new Muscle Badge into its slot before closing it.

Kai turned to face his Pokémon before saying, "I'd say we learned much from this young lad ourselves. But now we can fight like never before, right?"

Brawllaby and Kuninja both raised their fists to give their Trainer an affirmative grunt.

"I'm glad you figured out that sliding trick during training, Pikachu," said Ash. "If you hadn't, we might never have won."

Pikachu paused for a second, but stated, "Pika, pika."

Ash looked confused. "Are you trying to say it wasn't your idea?"

Pikachu nodded, and from behind a bush, the Charmor peeked out and smiled satisfiedly.

 _Now matter how much of an expert you are, you can always learn something new. Ash and his Pokémon will only continue to grow and evolve, not just in battle, but together, as the journey continues!_

* * *

 **Yeesh, has it been a whole year since I first started this story? And I'm only on chapter 9? What have I been doing?**

 **Anyway, I wanted to bring something up for you guys. There is another story like mine on called "Pokémon Cosmic Quest", by Yuni Oha. It has been a good source of inspiration for me, and Yuni Oha and I have been talking too. They even asked for my opinion recently. I highly recommend that fanfiction to you, though, because they are so much better than I am.**

 **Also, I know I said Team Rocket would be up to something in Corwald City, but we're not leaving the city yet. I decided it would be easier to wait for that.**

 **Well, until next time!**


	10. Coming Out of Your Shell

**Hello, ladies and germs! So good to see you all again! I mean it hasn't been that long. I did only talk to you guys yesterday!**

 **What? That was four months ago!?**

 **I apologize that this chapter took so long, but the truth is, I was studying all the episodes of the XY series before they vanished from Netflix. I just wanted to make sure I didn't forget anything about this show so I can be accurate when I write this story.**

 **Plus Yuni Oha needed my help. Team Rocket was holding him hostage, taking over his website, and forcing him to watch the Mario Bros Movie. So, obviously, I have to rescue him, with a little help from a... friend of mine.**

 **Anyway, let's finally get on with the show.**

* * *

 _After Ash's victory at the Corwald City Gym and departure with a Muscle Badge, our heroes are about ready to head out from Corwald City. The question is, what will step two be now?_

As the group walked away from the Corwald Gym, Ash examined the Muscle Badge sitting snugly in its slot within his badge case. "Our first Ralia League badge," he said to himself. "But where do we go now?"

Suddenly, a large group of people began charging past them, nearly knocking them over. Ash actually fell onto the ground, and Serena attempted to walk over to him to help him up, but one last person actually crashed right into her, knocking her to the ground as well.

"Oof!" said the person, as she attempted to stand up. "I'm sorry, I wasn't looking where I was going."

"No, it's okay," said Serena, as she accepted the other person's hand to stand up. "I guess everyone's just a little-"

Then she suddenly recognized the red-haired girl with shimmering eyes standing in front of her. "Eva?"

"Serena!" Eva suddenly beamed. Looking behind her, she added, "And Vernon!" She then turned behind her and saw Ash still lying on the ground. "Ooh! And Ash! Sorry, I didn't knock you down too, did I?" she said, offering him her hand.

"No, that was those other guys," Ash explained, taking her hand gratefully.

"Eva!" called another familiar voice. They all turned their heads to see Brett running up to join them. "There you are!" he said as he slowed down, panting. "Can you not run away from me next time?" Suddenly, he had a chance to look up and see his old friends. "Oh, hey, guys! Didn't think we'd run into you here."

"Hey, Brett," said Ash. "Long time no see! What're you guys up to?"

"We arrived here earlier together," Eva explained. "Old Brett there tried to win a Gym badge from Master Kai, but he was too much for him to handle."

"It's true," Brett moaned. "I've been training since then to get ready for a rematch."

"I know how that feels," said Ash. "I lost to him on my first try, too. But don't worry. Everyone loses a battle sometimes. You just gotta keep trying." Brett looked up and smiled at Ash's encouraging face.

"By the way, where's Chris?" said Vernon.

"Oh, he already set out for the next town," said Eva. "He's determined to fill that PokéDex."

"So why was everyone stampeding us before?" said Serena.

"You didn't hear?" said Eva. "They're holding a Pokémon Pageant here today!"

"No way? A Pokémon Pageant?"

"Yep! And I'm gonna be the first to sign up!"

* * *

"Okay, so that must be the secret Team Shade hideout," said James, looking at a shady-looking building near the edge of the town.

"Alright, you guys heard the boss!" said Meowth. "We sneak in, and then we-" he suddenly paused when he noticed that Jessie was no longer with them. "Hey, Jess! Where are you!?"

The guys then spied Jessie gushing at the site of an extravagant building, painted red and with a large ribbon-shaped pendant on the top with a gold medal in the middle.

"I don't believe it!" said Jessie. "It's a Pageant Hall!"

"A what now?" said Meowth.

"I've heard about these things before. They're like Pokémon Contests and Showcases put together! And you know what that means?"

"No, please, no!" James begged.

Jessie suddenly ran off and came back wearing a pink and purple horror extravaganza of an outfit. "Madam Joselyn must now take the stage!"

"Madam Jocelyn?" said James.

"Well, I can't use the same fake name every time, can I?" said Jessie. "Those twerps are around, they might get suspicious."

"Jessie, we're on a mission right now!" said Meowth. "The boss is counting on us to-"

"I know what the boss said," said Jessie. "But it can wait. A Pageant will be starting very soon! And we certainly don't wanna deprive the people of the woman they're waiting for, now do we?"

"Wobbuffet!" cried Wobbuffet, popping out of its PokéBall. The two then rushed off for the hall, leaving a groaning James and Meowth behind.

"She's not really gonna do this now, is she?" moaned James.

"'Fraid so," said Meowth. "Now we have to go along with her. We need all three of us to make this mission work." the two reluctantly dragged themselves forward.

* * *

Eva rushed into the main hallway of the Pageant Hall, and saw some other people bustling through. With everyone else right behind her, she ran up to find the signup sheet.

However, as soon as she made it, she felt herself being shoved to the side by a larger lady wearing a pink and purple outfit.

"Make way for her greatness, twerp!" the lady said. "Madam Jocelyn is hear to steal the show." She arrogantly signed the sheet and left.

Serena and the others caught up with her, and Serena said, "What was that all about?"

"I don't know, some weird lady," Eva shrugged. "Anyway, I need to sign up now." She quickly jotted her name down on sheet.

"What about you, Serena?" Eva said, turning back to her friend. "Are you gonna sign up, too?"

"Well, I-" Serena started, but suddenly a man from behind the counter took the sheet away. "Sorry, but we're now officially full. We're closing up signups."

"Well, so much for that," Serena said disappointed. "Well, I suppose all I can do now to cheer you on."

"Aw, I was really hoping we could make our Pageant debut together," Eva said.

"Well, with any luck, there will be others," said Vernon.

"Say," said Eva, "Serena, you said that you've done Pokémon Showcases and Contests before, right?"

"Yeah."

"Well, then, this is a bit embarrassing for me to ask, but could you help me train? I know I've seen these Pageants before on TV and stuff, but I'm still inexperienced."

"Sure!" said Serena. "I know it can be a little scary at first, but I'm sure you'll find you're own style."

"Then what are we waiting for?" Eva excitedly grabbed Serena by the arm and practically dragged her away.

"Hey, guys! Slow down!" said Vernon.

Meanwhile, Ash was about to follow them, until he felt Brett pull on his shirt sleeve.

"Say, Ash, I was gonna ask you a favor, too," he said somewhat awkwardly. "If you've really fought Kai before, would you mind giving me some pointers on how to beat him. I mean you've already gotten your Muscle Badge. You must know how to help me."

Ash paused for a second, looking back at where Serena had gone, but eventually decided to nod and say, "Okay, I can help you a little."

"Sweet!" said Brett.

"I can come, too!" said RotomDex. "I'd love to gain more data!"

"Okay," said Vernon. "I'll stick with the girls and tell them where you guys went."

* * *

 **Who's that Pokémon?**

 **It keeps its eggs warm with heat from fermenting leaves. It also uses leaves to make warm wrappings for its children.**

* * *

Eva led Serena through the backstage area, with Vernon right behind them struggling to keep up. Several of the Pageanters were either talking to their Pokémon, getting their outfits ready, or rehearsing what they were about to do on stage.

"C'mon, c'mon!" said Eva. "What're we waiting for?"

"For my heart to resume beating," said Serena, still trying to catch her breath. "Eva, please, the Pageant isn't going anywhere."

"Oop, sorry," Eva said. "I'm just so excited to get started."

"Do you even know what you need to do?" Vernon asked, having finally caught up to them.

"Sure, I've seen a whole bunch of them on TV. Basically, there are three parts to it. Part one, called the Challenge Round, can vary, but it usually comes down to either testing brainpower or physical ability. You won't know until you see it. But part two is easy. That's the Performance Round, where you have to show off your Pokémon's skills with their moves, powers, stuff like that."

"Oh, yeah," said Serena. "I think I get that part. Your Pokémon have to use their moves together in such a way that it will impress the audience."

"Exactly," said Eva. "And finally, there's the Battle Round. There, contestants will battle each other with their Pokémon, and it goes on for about three minutes. You want to either make a KO, or it will be decided by a point system. See, each contestant will be given about 50 points, but that score will slowly decrease if your Pokémon takes damage or if it can't get a move in. The first one to make a KO or the one with the most points left wins."

"I remember Battle Rounds from Pokémon contests," said Serena.

"So, you think you can help me?" Eva asked eagerly.

"Of course," said Serena, "but I've learned that it's good to be prepared for anything."

"Attention, all Pageanters," came a voice on the P.A. "We will be beginning in above fifteen minutes. Please get ready to walk out on stage and officially introduce yourselves to the audience."

"Ooh, I better get ready," said Eva. She opened the pack on her back, and pulled out a neatly-folded green dress. "I know this dress isn't much, but I can make it work, right?"

"Actually," said Serena, "I might be able to touch it up for you if you like. I'm really good at designing."

"Sure, that'd be great!" said Eva.

* * *

"This looks like a good place to practice," said Ash, as he led Brett into an empty parking lot. "It's a bummer we're gonna miss the Pageant. I wonder what actually happens in those."

"I can tell you about them later myself," Brett suggested as he situated himself on one side of the parking lot while Ash settled on the other.

"Right, so let's get started," said Ash as he pulled out a PokéBall. "Humbeat! I choose you!" he said as he flung the PokéBall, and it exploded into Humbeat.

"Okay! Then I'm gonna use this Pokémon!" Brett threw his own PokéBall, revealing a Wombite.

"Wombite, wom!" Wombite stretched out its legs on the battlefield.

"What do you think? It's the first Pokémon I've caught," said Brett.

"Pretty good first catch," said Ash. "Now let's see how it does in battle!"

 **BATTLE BEGIN!**

"Humbeat, use Drill Peck!" Humbeat dived down and succeeded in hitting Wombite.

"Shake it off, Wombite! Use Scratch!" Wombite slapped Humbeat down and began slashing at it with its razor-sharp claws.

"Now, use Razor Wind!" Humbeat stirred up the wind and shot sharp air currents at Wombite, knocking it back and allowing Humbeat to take to the sky.

"What? I thought I had you guys!" said Brett.

"Now, use Wing Attack!" Ash said. Humbeat's wings glowed white and it bashed them against Wombite's face.

"Er, uh, Wombite, use Hyper Fang!" Wombite crunched its teeth down on Humbeat's wing. "Now use Fury Swipes!" Wombite's claws grew longer and began slashing at Humbeat. The Hummingbird Bird managed to scramble away, but it was feeling worse for the wear.

"Humbeat, what's wrong?" Ash asked.

"It's Wombite's Ability, Tough Claws," said RotomDex. "It powers up moves that make direct contact."

"Perfect!" Brett cheered. "Now use Tackle!" Wombite charged forward and jumped towards Humbeat.

"Fly higher, Humbeat," Ash commanded. Humbeat soared higher and kept out of Wombite's reach.

"Whoa!" said Brett. "Humbeat is fast!"

"Now use Razor Wind again!" Ash said. Humbeat pummeled Wombite with more razor-sharp air currents, and Brett suddenly felt himself freezing up.

"Use Wing Attack one more time!" As Humbeat charged forward with its wings again, Brett looked on, struggling to come up with a plan, but Humbeat quickly closed the gap, and knocked out Wombite with one more shot.

"Wombite is unable to battle!" called RotomDex. "Humbeat is the winner!"

"Great work, Humbeat!" Ash praised as Humbeat excitedly flew around its trainer.

"Wombite! No!" said Brett, running over to pick up his Pokémon. "I-I'm sorry, I messed up." He quickly recalled it into its PokéBall.

"You were doing well, Brett," said Ash. "It's just that you froze up once things started going our way."

"M-maybe," said Brett. "I couldn't think of what to do."

"You gotta be ready to deal with the unexpected. Just stay focused and keep cool, and wait for the right chance," said Ash. "And remember, your Pokémon and you have to do it together."

Brett paused for a few seconds, but slowly, he smiled and nodded. "Thanks, Ash," he said. "So, how about round two?"

"You bet!" Ash said. "Pikachu, I choose you!" Pikachu jumped into the battlefield as its cheeks emitted sparks.

"Then I choose, Koaleaf!" said Brett, as he threw Koaleaf's PokéBall into the battlefield, causing Koaleaf to appear. "Electric Type moves aren't very effective on Grass Types. Looks like I have the advantage."

"We'll see about that!" said Ash. "Pikachu, use Iron Tail!" Pikachu's tail turned metallic silver and bashed Koaleaf away.

"Oh, no you don't!" said Brett. "Use Razor Leaf!" Koaleaf shot razor-sharp leaves at Pikachu, making a close hit.

* * *

"Welcome, one and all, to our latest Pokémon Pageant!" A tall silver-haired man wearing a blue tuxedo emerged from behind the curtain on the glowing stage, speaking into a large microphone. "Hosted by me, the one and only Fenwick, a former contester, but expert on all things glamorous! So without further ado, let's bring out our newest Pageanters!"

Several spotlights shone down on the stage, revealing seven contestants. One of them was "Jocelyn", milking the entire scene. "Yes, breathe it in, my adoring fans! Your Madame Jocelyn is here to denounce the evils of lesser beauties!"

In the audience, James and Meowth, in disguise, held their heads in the palms of their hands. "She's enjoying this _way_ too much."

"Let's just get this over with," said Meowth. "The sooner we're done here, the sooner we can get on with the Boss's mission."

The seventh and final contestant was revealed to be Eva, wearing her green dress from earlier, only now, the shoulders were decorated each with a green flower, and there were black stripes twisting around from the bottom to the top.

From backstage, Serena and Vernon were observing everything on a monitor. "You did a pretty good job on that dress Serena."

"I designed all my outfits for my Showcases and Contests," said Serena. "I've picked up quite a few things."

"And just think, next time, it'll be you out on that stage," said Vernon.

"Yeah," said Serena wistfully. "Y'know, Vernon, seeing all those people out there reminds me of my first Pokémon Showcase. I remember giving it my all. Showing everyone what Braixen, then a Fennekin, and I could do together. We lost because Fennekin tripped, but it was all worth. I felt my aspiration and inspiration build up from there, and Ash always told me to never quit. And you know, being up there on stage, making all those people smile with your talents, it's a feeling like no other."

Vernon listened to what Serena was saying, and slowly, he felt his hand reaching into his back pocket, and he pulled out the recommendation slip Cameron had given him. Looking it over, he thought about everything Serena was saying about being on stage and bringing joy to the audience. He remembered what that felt like. He wished more than anything that he could do it once again.

He knew both Serena and Ash were dreamers. Ash dreamed of being a Pokémon Master, and Serena dreamed of giving incredible performances like these. "Yeah," he said quietly. "It's great to have a dream."

"And so, these will be our contestants for this afternoon," said Fenwick. "Our first round will begin shortly, but first, let's give them a big Corwald City welcome!"

The audience began clapping their hands together, as some firework-esque special effects began going off in the background. At the the great and loud sound, Serena suddenly felt some wiggling in her back pocket, until Chrysaluxe popped out of its PokéBall. The sounds were starting to irritate it so it suddenly bounced off into the studio.

"Whoa!" said Serena. "Chrysaluxe, come back!"

"Serena, wait-" Vernon tried to follow. but the two were already gone.

* * *

The first round was about having the contestants' Pokémon climbing to the top of a large, plastic mountain to retrieve three fake gemstones to bring it back to their trainers. Eva won first place in this round with the help of her Charmor, with Jessie coming in second with Napiat. As such, both of them plus two other contestants were allowed to enter the next round, while the other three were eliminated.

As Eva returned to the backstage, Vernon returned after looking around for Serena and Chrysaluxe, before spying Eva.

"Hey, Eva," he said. "Saw you guys go one the monitors in the lobby. Quite a good first impression, I'd say."

"Thanks!" said Eva. "Wait, where's Serena?"

"One of her Pokémon ran off on her," Vernon explained. "She's still trying to find it."

"Contestants, please prepare both your Pokémon for the next round, which begins in a few minutes. Remember, you need at least two Pokémon to participate."

"Did he say two Pokémon?" Eva said, surprised.

"Yeah," said Vernon.

"No! I only have Charmor with me! What am I supposed to do now?"

* * *

 **It's Leavanny!**

* * *

"Okay, Pikachu, use Quick Attack!"

Pikachu charged forward outlined in white, and bashed Koaleaf back.

"Hit Pikachu with a Scratch attack!"

Koaleaf managed to scratch up Pikachu's face with its claws.

"We're not done yet!" Ash declared. "Use Thunderbolt!"

Pikachu leaped into the air and lit up its body with electricity. "Pi-ka-chuuu!" it said as it shot a bolt of lightning at Koaleaf, and lit up its body.

"Ugh!" Brett said, feeling himself freezing up again. However, he forced himself to pull himself together, clenched his fists, and told himself to focus. As Pikachu began falling back down, he suddenly got an idea. "Use Razor Leaf, Koaleaf! Send it up towards Pikachu!"

Koaleaf nodded as it recovered from Pikachu's Thunderbolt. It then shot more razor-sharp leaves from the foliage around its neck, and they floated upwards, hitting Pikachu and causing the Electric Mouse Pokémon to tumble backwards towards Ash.

"There you go, Brett!" said Ash. "You're starting to get it now. Just focus and don't quit. Don't give up till it's over! That's what I always say."

"Yeah, you're right," said Brett, as he walked up to Koaleaf and scratched his Pokémon on its head. "I think me and Koaleaf could be really good at this someday."

"Koaleaf," Koaleaf nodded.

"Pikachu and I never gave up," said Ash, petting is own Pokémon. "In fact, at first, we didn't exactly see eye-to-eye. But in the end, we managed to use that and our weaknesses to make us both stronger."

"Pika, pika!" Pikachu said.

In the background, a certain Charmor of a different color peeked out from behind a bush, and thought to itself of its life from Corwald Forest. It remembered how the larger Charmors in the group kept telling it that it was weak and that it couldn't amount to anything. Yet, everything it had heard Ash say made it believe that it had so much untapped potential. That it was capable of so much more, if it could find a new way to be stronger.

And as it looked back at Ash, it believed it knew what that new way was.

"So can you think of a strategy for beating Kai yet?" said Ash.

"I wish," said Brett. "It's a Fighting Type Gym, I know that, but Koaleaf and Wombite are the only Pokémon I have, and I know that Wombite is at a disadvantage."

"Hey, type disadvantages have never stopped me before," said Ash. "Advantages don't mean much if your opponent can't make a hit."

"Hm," Brett thought. "I know he has a Kuninja and a Jumjoey..."

"Actually, his Jumjoey evolved into a Brawllaby during our Gym Battle."

"Oh, great, so now it's even stronger than before."

"I've seen most of his strategies by now. C'mon, I'll try to demonstrate them two you."

* * *

"Chrysaluxe, c'mon!" Serena said as she frantically searched around for her bug Pokémon, until she finally noticed it hiding behind some crates next to the stage.

"There you are, Chrysaluxe," Serena said, relieved. As she approached it, she added, "C'mon, we should get back to backstage. Vernon and Eva are probably wondering where we are."

As she picked up her trembling Pokémon, it tried to wrestle out of her grip. "Man, you really are a scaredy Meowth, aren't you?"

"And now for our next Performance, please welcome Madame Jocelyn!" Fenwick's voice was heard onstage, as Jessie in disguise ventured out onto the stage before the crowd, Wobbuffet and Napiat right next to her.

"Alright, my lesser beauties," Jessie announced, "Prepare for a stunning performance you won't soon forget!"

Napiat faced Wobbuffet and unleashed a Venoshock as Jessie ordered a Mirror Coat move. The attack bounced off Wobbuffet as a result, and exploded into the air as purple streaks rained to the ground as a result.

As Serena was about to turn and walk away, Chrysaluxe couldn't help but notice the Performance. It turned its head to get a better view, and Serena looked down at her Pokémon in confusion. "What is it Chrysaluxe?"

Chrysaluxe ignored her voice and looked towards Jessie and her Pokémon. "Now, Napiat, use Venoshock and make a bubble!" Napiat shot its Venoshock attack upwards and it collected together in a bubble-like form. Slowly, it descended back down towards Napiat, and Jessie ordered it to use Poison Fang. Napiat caught the bubble in its teeth and squeezed it until it burst, causing it to explode into more purple streaks. Some of those streaks fell down towards Wobbuffet, but he used Mirror Coat again and reflected them around the stage once more.

"Ta-da!" Jessie declared, striking a pose with her Pokémon.

"Okay, an excellent performance from Madame Jocelyn. Very good," said Fenwick.

As Chrysaluxe viewed the raining purple streams, it got a vision of shooting stars and the setting sun and moon in its head. In Corwald Forest, it had always enjoyed viewed the beautiful lights at night, and watching this now, it felt so intrigued.

Serena noticed this and smiled and stroked her Pokémon's head. "So you do like this, huh? Well, I know stuff like this by heart. I think it could be just the thing to help you with your shyness."

* * *

"This is no good," said Eva, sitting in a chair, tapping her foot nervously. "I thought they'd accept a performance from just one Pokémon."

"It's okay," said Vernon. "There must be something we can do."

"Hey, guys," said Serena, returning backstage with Chrysaluxe in her arms. "Isn't it about time for the next round?"

"There's a problem," Vernon explained. "She needs at least two Pokémon for the next round, but she's only got one."

"Where am I supposed to get another Pokémon on such short notice?" said Eva.

Serena suddenly looked down at the bug Pokémon in her arms, and she had an idea. "Say, Eva, what if you borrowed one of my Pokémon?"

"Really? Which one?" said Eva.

"This one, right here, my Chrysaluxe," said Serena. At this, Chrysaluxe's eyes suddenly grew huge and it leaped out of Serena's arms and hid under a nearby chair.

"Um, Serena?" said Vernon, pulling Serena away to talk to her. "I don't know if you've noticed, but Chrysaluxe is kind of scared of everything."

"I know," said Serena. "Just let me talk to it." She walked over to the chair Chrysaluxe had hidden under and bent down to its height. "Hey, Chrysaluxe, it's okay. Just come out and let me talk to you."

Chrysaluxe was reluctant to move, but turned to face its trainer. "I know you're a little scared of the outside world, but I saw how you looked at that other contestant's performance. It moved you, and for the first time, you didn't feel afraid. I saw boldness in your eyes. Well, now I want to help you channel that boldness. Right now, Eva could really use our help. And I know if there was ever a Pokémon to help her right now, it's you. So what do you say? Can you help us?"

Chrysaluxe looked back at its trainer with questioning eyes, but it thought back to seeing Jessie's performance. It reminded it of the beautiful night sky that it loved to observe as it was falling asleep last night. Looking at a sky like that made it feel like it could soar. It was the one thing that made it feel such an incredible feeling. Slowly, it looked back towards Serena and nodded.

"Great!" Serena clasped her hands. "So what do you think, Eva? Can Chrysaluxe be in your performance?"

"Sure! That'd be great! But what're its moves?"

"Don't worry," said Serena. "I think I have an idea."

* * *

"Dodge it, Koaleaf!" said Brett, and Koaleaf managed to duck underneath the descending Pikachu's Iron Tail. At the moment, Ash was trying to replicate Brawllaby's jumping strategy to teach Brett to counter it.

"Nice job, you guys!" said Ash. "I think you're getting the hang of this now."

"Cool!" said Brett. "I think we've got the jumping strategy memorized by now. Now what to do about Kuninja's stealth tactics?"

"Well, Kai himself taught me that my Pokémon and I should pay close attention to everything we see and hear," Ash explained.

"Pay close attention," Brett repeated slowly. He decided to close his eyes and try to listen closely to everything around him. At first, he could here nothing, but then...

"WOO! THAT WAS A GOOD ONE! DO IT AGAIN! JUMP HIGHER THIS TIME!"

"Huh?" said Ash. "Who was that?"

"Oh, I'd know that voice anywhere," Brett said, rolling his eyes. "C'mon, let's go see."

* * *

"I hope you're all ready for our fourth and final performance," said Fenwick, "Eva!"

Eva walked out onto the stage as the spotlights rained down on her. She then pulled out her PokéBall and threw it into the air, and it exploded into her Charmor. Then, from behind her, out slowly crept Chrysaluxe.

"Hello, everybody!" Eva greeted. "I think we've got something that you're gonna love!"

Chrysaluxe looked nervously at the cheering crowd in front of it. It shut its eyes, afraid of all the looks it was getting. However, it soon remembered what Serena had said to it earlier.

" _I know you're a little scared of the outside world, but I saw how you looked at that other contestant's performance. It moved you, and for the first time, you didn't feel afraid. I saw boldness in your eyes. Well, now I want to help you channel that boldness. Right now, Eva could really use our help. And I know if there was ever a Pokémon to help her right now, it's you._ "

Slowly, Chrysaluxe opened its eyes and forced itself to look upwards at all the stage lights. This caused it to remember all the starry nights it had enjoyed before, before it suddenly began to envision itself floating through space, passing by the stars and witnessing comets whizzing past. The feeling was like now other. It felt bold, fearless for once.

Then it looked forward with uncharacteristic determination as Eva and Charmor got into their starting positions.

From backstage, Serena and Vernon looked intently at the scene from one of the monitors. "Chrysaluxe..." Serena whispered to herself, "I know you have it in you..."

 _Eva's performance round is about to get underway, but will Chrysaluxe really be able to keep it together and help her win this thing? I guess with find out..._

* * *

Ash, Pikachu, RotomDex, and Brett wandered into the forest area surrounding the next route leading out of Corwald City, only to be spooked but a jumping Wombite.

"Whoa!" said Ash. "What was that about?"

"C'mon, show me whatcha got!" they heard a familiar voice say. They peeked through the trees to see Professor Acacia poking another sleeping Wombite with a stick, until finally, it jumped upwards and ran off.

"That's what I'm talking about!" Acacia said.

"Professor Acacia?" said RotomDex.

"Why am I not surprised?" said Brett, shaking his head.

 _...as the journey continues!_

* * *

 **Alas, I must end the chapter here, because I've been working on it for far, far too long, and I wanted to give you guys _something_. Still, don't worry, my next chapter should come out soon. Just let me find some time to write it, because remember...**

 **You can't rush art!**

 **And don't worry. In the next chapter, something big is coming, concerning a certain team we know. Just try to guess which team that is.**


	11. Impulsive Decisions

_As this Pok_ _é_ _mon Pageant continues, Eva is relying on Chrysaluxe's performance to help her get through round 2!_

"Are you ready, Chrysaluxe?" said Eva, kneeling down to look at the Pupa Pokémon. Chysaluxe had its eyes closed, mentally bracing itself, until it opened them and nodded.

"Then let's do it!" said Eva. She stood up and Charmor jumped before her. Serena and Vernon continued to watch intently from backstage.

" _Don't_ _be scared, Chrysaluxe. Now is your time to_ _shine._ "

Eva commanded Charmor to use Ember and make it rain down on top of them. Chrusaluxe looked upon it, thinking of shooting stars. Then, Eva asked for Chrysaluxe to use String Shot, and it wrapped its silk around the body of Charmor. Charmor then used Flame Charge and ran around Chrysaluxe in a circle, until Chrysaluxe managed to lift it into the air. Charmor then shot through the air like a comet. When it landed, it and Chrysaluxe were prepared to use their final move. Charmor would use Tackle and launch the bug Pokémon upwards, where it would use Flash to dazzle the entire area. Eva looked at them expectantly, while Serena felt her palms shaking from backstage.

Then Charmor charged forward, and Chrysaluxe braced itself, but as Charmor neared closer, and closer, it suddenly grew a new image in its mind. This time, instead of seeing shooting stars soaring overhead, all it could see was a shooting star heading straight for it.

Just as Charmor was upon Chrysaluxe, the bug Pokémon suddenly let itself fall to the side. As a result, Charmor missed Chrysaluxe and then stumbled and fell over. When the audience saw this, they all gasped in shock, and then fell silent.

Serena stood in the backstage area shocked. "No, Chysaluxe!" she silently whispered to herself. "I... didn't think... it would end like this."

* * *

Eventually, after what felt like an eternity, Eva, Jessie, and the other two contestants stood on the stage before the audience. Fenwick stood before them, and said, "Well, now that the performance round is over, it is up to you there in the audience to use the pads in front of you to vote for the contestant that you liked best. The two with the highest scores will move on to the battle round!"

The people in the audience began tapping the small screens attached to the chairs in front of them to choose their favorite contestant. As the votes got in and were tallied, Eva held her breath, and looked anxiously at the screen showing the results.

Unfortunately, the results showed that she did not qualify for the final round. Only Jessie and another contestant did.

"Yes!" Jessie cheered. "Of course, it's not like it was going to end any other way!"

"Great," Meowth moaned in the audience. "I was hoping she'd lose, then we could get on with the mission."

As Serena and Vernon looked on the events on the monitors backstage, and felt their hearts sink. However, Chrysaluxe was observing things behind them, having been brought back to Serena earlier. It nearly cried, because it knew exactly why Eva had lost. It had let its cowardice get the better of it.

Afterwards, Eva entered the room. "Sorry, Eva," said Vernon. "We know how much you wanted to win."

"No, it's alright," Eva reassured. "I still had a lot of fun out there. Seeing all those smiling people, it was totally worth it. I just didn't expect Chrysaluxe to-"

"I'm sorry, Eva," said Serena. "Chrysaluxe wasn't ready. And I should've known that."

Chrysaluxe hung its head in shame. As it heard this conversation, it felt terrible about what happened. It secretly jumped off its chair and snuck out the door. Once out, it looked back at its Trainer apologetically, and bounced away.

"I-I..." Serena said to herself. "No, there's no excuse. _I_ put Chrysaluxe out there before it was ready. And I made it panic. It's my fault, not Chrysaluxe's."

Serena turned to face the chair where Chrysaluxe was once sitting. "Chysaluxe, I'm sorry, I-" But then, she saw that her Pokémon was now missing.

"Chysaluxe? Chrysaluxe!" she said, looking around frantically.

* * *

"Professor?" said Ash. "What're you doing here?"

"G'day!" said Professor Acacia. "I'm doing my job. Right now, people have asked for my help in relocating some of the Wombites around here. See, they've gotten into some food stocks lately, but I offered to help them move to another food source."

"Interesting," said Brett, "but Dad, I hope you're being careful. I don't wanna repeat the incident with the Mantine."

"It didn't mean to hurt me," said Acacia. "I mean, sure it almost Signal Beam-ed me through the heart, but I made peace with it. Besides, I've got Crocky with me." At the mention of its name, the Professor's pet Sandile walked up next to his ankle.

"Looks like neat research you've got here," Ash said. "Hey, do you need any help?"

"Sure," said Acacia. "Just pick up a stick and follow my lead!"

"NO!" said Brett. "No, no, _no_! There must be a better way."

"It's fine," said Acacia. "I know that Wombites only resort to physical combat as a last resort. If I wake them up, I can lead them into a cage I set up over here." He led the two boys, Pikachu, and RotomDex towards a large cage hidden in a bush. "Then I relocate them to a better place."

Suddenly, Crocky fell onto the ground, holding its head in pain. Everyone looked at it in confusion, but suddenly, Pikachu fell down, and did the same thing.

"Guys?" Ash knelt down to his partner. "What's going on? What's wrong?"

"I think there's some kind of sound that only they can hear," Acacia hypothesized. Suddenly, they heard wings flapping, and turned their heads upward to see a Murkrow descending on them. The Murkrow landed on the cage, which contained a lot of Wombites and it pulled the hook out, opening the cage. At this, the Wombites began holding their ears, and they suddenly went crazy. They began biting and scratching at each other, until they all poured out of the cage, knocking Ash, Brett, and Acacia in the process.

"Hey! What's the big idea!?" said Ash. Suddenly, he looked over at Pikachu and Crocky, sparks emitting from Pikachu's cheeks. "Pikachu? What's the matter?" Ash reached his hand forward to touch his partner, but suddenly, Pikachu unleashed a furious Thunderbolt, shocking everyone in the area (except for Crocky, who is a Ground Type, and therefore was left unaffected). The two Pokémon suddenly ran off after the Wombites.

"Whoa, what was that about? Pikachu!" Ash called out after his Pokémon.

"I think that sound that's tormenting them must be causing them so much pain, it's sent them into a blind rage!" Acacia theorized.

"Are you sure it's a sound?" said Brett.

"I'm positive," said Acacia. "It's the only explanation I can think of. It's affecting all the Pokémon in the vicinity, and we can't see or hear anything. It must be so high-pitched, only Pokémon can hear."

"Look, we've gotta find Pikachu and Crocky!" said Ash. "Who knows what kind of trouble they could get into? Maybe Humbeat can help find them?"

He pulled out a PokéBall, but Acacia quickly covered it up with his hand. "NO! Don't send out any Pokémon! The sound could rile them up too! It's safer to leave them in their PokéBalls for now."

"I'm glad I already put Koaleaf put into its PokéBall," Brett said.

"It's okay, guys!" said RotomDex. "I believe if I can get high enough, I can use my Poké Finder feature to scan for them." He suddenly flew upwards above the surrounding trees, and the PokéDex in Brett's pocket suddenly rang. Curious, Brett pulled it out and received a call from RotomDex.

"Can you guys hear me?" RotomDex's voice was heard on the other end.

"How did you get this number?" Brett said.

"Relax, I just saw you type in the number when you opened it for the first time. Now come on, I think I can see a trail."

* * *

The battle round was heating up, and Jessie and Napiat were up against another girl and her Brionne.

"Brionne, use Baby Doll Eyes!" the girl said. Brionne's eyes grew larger, and hearts poured from its eyes. Napiat's Attack was lowered.

"Grr," said Jessie. "Use Venoshock!" Napiat spewed a torrent of purple liquid and hit Brionne in the chest.

"Use Bubble Beam!" Brionne spewed bubbles from its nose, but with Jessie's orders, Napiat was able to dodge them all with its long body. The graceful dodging caused Brionne's score to be lowered.

"Use Iron Tail!" Jessie commanded. Napiat's tail turned metallic silver, and swatted Brionne away.

"Use Disarming Voice!" Brionne screeched and let out many pink hearts from its mouth, pushing Napiat back. Jessie was about to retaliate when the bell was suddenly sounded.

"That's it! The Battle round is over!" Fenwick declared. "And according to the point meters, Madame Jocelyn wins by 15 points!"

"Yes!" Jessie declared. "Victory is mine!"

* * *

"Well, we send a special thank you to all our contestants today, but for now, the medal will go to Madame Jocelyn," said Fenwick.

He presented Jessie a bronze medal with the number 1 inscribed upon it. Jessie gladly took it and posed.

"Perfect, my first medal is mine! Was there ever a doubt!"

"Well, that's our show, ladies and gentlemen!" said Fenwick. "Let's give another great round of applause!" And the audience gave a large amount of applause.

* * *

"Read it and weep, boys!" Jessie gloated, presenting her new medal before James and Meowth, now standing behind the Pageant Hall in their normal Team Rocket uniforms. "The first of many!"

"Yeah, that's great," said James. "Now can we please get on with-"

He was suddenly cut off by his communicator buzzing again. He pulled it out and answered it, revealing a royally angry Giovanni on the other end.

"What is taking you three lousy mooks so long!?" Giovanni angrily demanded. "I sent you to nab those Team Shade blueprints a long time ago!"

"Our most sincere apologies, boss!" James and Meowth hung their heads before him. "It's just, _Jessie_ here insisted that we run off for-"

"No excuses!" Giovanni said. "I've learned quite a bit about those Team Shade punks when we were researching the Ralia region. Those runts are going to cause a lot of problems for us in the future! Now I need the three of you get those blueprints so we can simultaneously halt their own plans and feed our own! NOW GET MOVING!"

"Um, yes, sir!" Jessie, James, and Meowth quickly saluted their boss before turning off the communicator. "You heard the man, let's do it!" said James.

* * *

 **Who's that Pokémon?**

 **It sprays a foul fluid from its rear end. The smell can linger for 24 hours and can drive away Pokémon from a mile-wide radius.**

* * *

"Chrysaluxe?" said Serena, now running around outside the Pageant Hall, she, Eva, and Vernon frantically looking for the Pupa Pokémon. "I'm sorry, Chysaluxe, I shouldn't have put you out there! You weren't ready!"

Serena peaked underneath a bush. "Forget the pageant, okay? I just want you to come back."

"Serena?" came a distant voice. The three turned their heads to see Ash, Brett, and Professor Acacia walking up to them. "Are you guys okay?" Ash asked.

"Professor Acacia?" Vernon couldn't help but ask.

"I came here on a relocation mission for all the Wombites in the area," said the Professor. "But the three of you need to get indoors right now."

"No, I lost Chrysaluxe!" Serena cried. "I-I tried to put it on stage, but I couldn't take the pressure, and now it's run off!" Serena could feel the tears welling up in her eyes, kneeling down on the ground. "It's my fault, okay? I drove it off."

"No, no, no, Serena, it's not your fault," Vernon put a hand on her shoulder. "I know that Chrysaluxe doesn't blame you for what happened."

"It's true," said Eva reassuredly. "I can tell that Chrysaluxe actually enjoyed itself out there."

Ash didn't like the sight of his friend crying and beating herself up. Slowly, he kneeled before her and said, "Hey, Serena?" Serena's eyes slowly rose upward and met Ash's. "I'm really sorry you lost Chrysaluxe, but I know that Chrysaluxe wouldn't leave you. And do you know why? It's because you were the first person to trust it, to believe in it. You wanted to help it, and that's why it needs you now!"

"But-"

"So what if you've had a little misunderstanding? I always thought that all friends fight, but it's through those very fights that friendships get even stronger."

Serena looked up to Ash through the tears in her eyes as he continued. "It may seem bad now, but I know that if we find Chrysaluxe, it'll only want to come back to you. To its friend, to the one who believed in it."

Serena remained silent for a moment, but then nodded, smiled, and accepted Ash's hand to help her up. "You always know just what say!" She turned to face everyone else. "Ash is right! I'm not gonna leave Chrysaluxe behind!"

"Good," said Acacia, nodding. "But now's probably the time to say we need to do it quickly. You see, we have a situation."

* * *

Chrysaluxe sat down on its tree stump, looking up at the sky, now that it was dusk. It continued to think back to its failure of a performance. It believed that it could take it on, even Serena believed it. But for Chrysaluxe, it always lived in a world where it felt small. As a Starva, it was chased and forced to hide frequently. The only thing that made it feel free was looking upon the night sky, and seeing shooting stars and the glow of the moon, and it had always wished it could fly all the way up there. And at the Pageant, it felt like it finally could.

But seeing Charmor charge at it made it feel like even flying free was risky. That it could fall at any moment. And that's why it bailed. It felt so fragile at that very moment. It felt like if it fell once, it wouldn't be able to get back up.

It never wanted to disappoint Serena like it did, but that's exactly what happened. All because it was such a coward, it failed both Eva and Serena. And now, it was too ashamed to show itself.

Suddenly, it heard a rustle in the bushes nearby. It peeked over, but was suddenly blasted away by a stray Thunderbolt. As it managed to sit up after landing, it suddenly noticed Pikachu running past. Before it could even react to it, Pikachu wildly charged past and knocked it to the side. As Chrysaluxe opened its eyes again, it suddenly saw a Starly descend from above. It looked like it was in a lot of pain, and then dove downward at Chrysaluxe with a Take Down attack. Chrysaluxe braced for the worst, but suddenly, the bird Pokémon was blasted with black ash. Chrysaluxe looked behind it to see the shiny Charmor taking a firm stance next to it, having just emitted a Smokescreen attack. The Starly looked angry and prepared to attack again, but Charmor once again spat a Smokescreen towards it, blinding it, though its flapping wings blew some back towards it. The ash fell all over Charmor's head, but it still quickly picked Chrysaluxe up onto its back and the two ran away while the Starly was still attempting to recover its vision.

* * *

After running for a while, Charmor had to stop to catch its breath, and as a result, Chrysaluxe fell off its back. Chrysaluxe sat back up to look at the panting armadillo creature, but moved up towards it. Charmor looked at the Pupa Pokémon, who chirped in appreciation. Charmor nodded, but then Chrysaluxe heard a mysterious sound. It was so small, it was easy not to notice, but then it began to screech violently, and Chrysaluxe fell over in pain. Charmor looked over it concerned, as it was unable to hear the sound itself due to the ashes from its Smokescreen stuck in its ears. However, Chrysaluxe suddenly reacted violently, and it charged forward and bashed Charmor back, before running away.

* * *

"The plan's working like a charm," said a Team Shade grunt. He and a male and female grunt were observing various Pokémon like Starlys, Wombites, and Beedrills angrily running around the woods. "Once they get into the town, people will get afraid, and we can take advantage of that to fight back like we're supposed too. No more simple battles, but our other grunts will finally be taking action."

"And this beauty made it all possible," said the female grunt. She turned around to face their machine, shaped like a small metal box with long speakers coming out of the top. "Emitting sonic impulses and waves so painful, no Pokémon will be able to resist lashing out in all their terrible pain. Blinded by their pain, they won't even realize what their doing."

"Go ahead, Pokémon," said the third grunt. "Go on and dig your own graves."

* * *

Jessie, James, and Meowth silently sneaked inside the hidden Team Shade hideout, and were surprised to find it mostly empty. The building itself was meant to looked like a bait and tackle shop, but the three went around trying to find a secret entrance to Team Shade's base. Giovanni had explained to them that Team Rocket scientists had looked into Team Shade's previous exploits, and managed to discover that the plan that they were enacting right now had actually taken place before a year earlier. After looking at all the possibilities, the scientists estimated that Team Shade most likely hid their plans within this small, unassuming building. Now, Jessie, James, and Meowth's mission was to find the blueprints for their sonic impulse machine, believing it could be useful.

"I can't see anything around here," complained Jessie.

Meowth leaned on a nearby wall and said, "Well, they say that the best way to find a secret entrance is by accideeeeaaaaaahhhh..." he suddenly found himself falling into a small doorway that was hidden in the wall.

* * *

Ash, Serena, Vernon, Eva, Brett, and Professor Acacia ran around town, struggling to find all their Pokémon. However, they came upon the center of town and witnesses the various Wombites going crazy around some townsfolk.

"Uh-oh," said Acacia, "it's getting worse. We gotta get them to settle down."

"Fear not, everyone," came a nearby voice. "We can handle these vile beasts for you." The group looked over to see some Team Shade grunts walking over, holding certain devices meant to capture the Pokémon.

"No, it's Team Shade!" Brett said.

"I should've known!" said Ash, looking at the grunt with contempt.

"They don't think they're fooling anyone, do they?" said Acacia. "If I knew them, they started this little disaster just so they can be allowed to solve it." He turned towards the others. "You all let me handle this. I want you all to looked into what's causing this. It's definitely Team Shade behind this, so it's up to you all to the sound that's driving all the Pokémon crazy."

"But, Dad-" said Brett.

"Don't worry, Brett," said Acacia, turning towards his son with a grin. "Your old man knows just what to do. You've got this."

Brett looked uncertain, but Ash put a hand on his shoulder. "Your dad's right. We can't let Team Shade win this. Now we need to do our part."

Brett paused, but nodded and they took off with the others. Acacia, meanwhile walked forward and said, "Just what do you fine young gents think you're doing?"

"Stay out of this, blondie," said one of the grunts. "We know what we're doing."

"Please sir," said a town person. "Just let them help." A Wombite was right next to her, snapping a Hyper Fang attack at her. "These Pokémon are not gonna back off."

"Just trust me, everyone," said Acacia. "I know just what to do."

* * *

 **It's Stunky!**

* * *

Jessie, James, and Meowth were looking under the building, where they found themselves inside a small lab, with blue, neon lights surrounding the ceiling. They looked around a corner to see some grunts at work with many different inventions.

"Alright, now let's see if we can find those blueprints," said Jessie.

Meowth was examining some inventions on the shelf. "Hey, look at this thing," he said, pulling out a small box. "I wonder what it does."

Suddenly, the device burst, and Meowth fell backwards, covered in ash. "I think it was an explosive..."

"Hey! What're you three doing here!?" said a grunt. The grunts all dropped what they were doing to confront the intruders.

"Way to go, Meowth!" said Jessie, pulling out her PokéBall. "Napiat, use Venoshock!"

"And Choaking," said James, throwing his own PokéBall, "use Sludge Bomb!"

Napiat and Choaking appeared and used their respective moves, moving the Team Shade to move back. However, at that instance, more grunts appeared and were followed by some Houndours, Murkrows, and Sneasels.

"Who are you clowns supposed to be?" said one of the grunts. "And what's with the hairstyles? You look like you have an Ekans and a Mareanie sleeping on your heads!"

"How dare you!" James said, angered. "We are Team Rocket! We are the true top dogs in the Pokémon world, and you will learn to fear and respect us!"

"We'll see about that," said a female grunt. "Use Assurance! Flamethrower! Ice Shard!"

All Murkrows, Houndours, and Sneasels used said moves, forcing Team Rocket to retreat out of the room and run into the bowels of the lab.

"I guess those guys aren't just all talk," James mused.

"Quick, in here!" said Jessie, as they ducked into another room, the grunts right behind them. Team Rocket hid underneath a table, as the Team Shade grunts looked around the new room for them.

"Guys, look!" said Jessie. She pointed to a nearby shelf, where there happened to be a stack of blueprints. "I bet that's where the blueprints are hiding. Quick, Meowth, James and I will distract them, you get the plans."

"Roger that!" Meowth sneaked away from the table as Jessie, James, Napiat, and Choaking pulled themselves out from underneath it, and yelled, "Venoshock!" "Sludge Bomb!"

Napiat and Choaking succeeded in blasting the Sneasels, Houndours, and Murkrows back with their attacks, and these Pokémon used their own moves to fight back. However, Napiat managed to grab them all in a Constrict attack. Choaking responded by hitting them with a Fire Blast attack, leaving them all badly hurt.

"C'mon, c'mon, where is it!?" Meowth said, scrambling through the various blueprints. Eventually, he finally found one that he believed resembled the machine that they were looking for. "Alright, I think I got it!" he said, turning around and waving the blueprint around like a flag.

"Good!" said James. "Choaking, use Flamethrower!" Choaking burned the Pokémon in Napiat's grip, and Napiat launched them against the wall, leaving them dazed and disoriented. Choaking then used Smog and clouded the Team Shade grunt's vision. Once the Smog cleared, the grunts saw that their intruders were long gone.

"Great! What did they steal?" said one of the grunts. Another walked over to the shelf of blueprints and searched through them.

"Oh, I know what it was."

* * *

Acacia slowly walked over towards the many Wombites, with the townsfolk looking on apprehensively. "C'mon, pal, trust _us_ ," said a Team Shade Grunt. "We know what we're doing."

"And so do I," said Acacia. He walked over to a nearby trash can, and pulled out a can of shaving cream. Squirting some cream into the palm of his hand, then stared at the Wombites. Finally, he squatted in a challenging position and yelled, "Come and get me!"

The Wombites charged forward, and leaped onto him using Hyper Fang. However, Steven Acacia anticipated this, and managed to catch two of them mid-attack. Ducking one under his arm, he rubbed some of the shaving cream into the ears of the creature, before carefully setting it down, and doing the same to the other and setting it down. As the final two Wombites charged him, he jumped on top of them before rubbing some more cream in their ears.

After this, he stood up and looked back at the creatures, and saw them laying on the ground, growling to themselves, until they looked upward and Acacia could see that the pain in their eyes was slowly vanishing thanks to now being unable to hear the impulses.

"Hey, they're calming down!" said a bystander.

"How'd you do that?" said another.

"I'll explain later," said Acacia. "Right now, someone needs to answer some questions." He turned to face where the Team Shade grunts had been standing, but was surprised to see that they had run away.

In fact, they had hidden behind a building, and one of them whispered into a comm device, "Our plan's about to fall apart. All because of that Professor guy. Crank it up, don't hold back anything!"

As Acacia looked around for the grunts, he suddenly heard a familiar cry. He turned to see Crocky running over to him. He grinned and braced himself. "C'mon, Crockey, you know you don't want to do this."

Crockey charged forward regardless, and prepared to Bite down on his arm. Acacia was able, however, to grab Crockey and hold him under his arm, keeping himself safe from the snapping jaws.

"It's okay, Crockey, I'm here for you." Acacia slowly brought some more shaving cream down on Crockey's head, rubbing it into its ears. At the same time, he soothingly petted his Pokémon's head.

Crockey continued to struggle, but as Acacia continued, and as the impulses were slowly drowned out, it felt itself settling down.

"That's it," said Acacia. "Hey, I know!" He pulled out a Soothe Bell from his pocket. "You like this?"

The bell rang, and the chime managed to soothe Crockey's mind, until finally, it stopped biting, and Acacia set it down. Crockey looked up at its trainer, and smiled and jumped onto his body, running along it in excitement.

"That's my Crockey!" Acacia said as Crockey situated itself on his shoulder. "Now c'mon! Out friends need our help."

* * *

Ash, Serena, Vernon, Brett, and Eva were attempting to follow RotomDex to find their Pokémon, and were scanning the surrounding forest. Suddenly, the bushes nearby rustled. Everyone turned their heads to see an angry Pikachu emerging and charging forward, electricity lighting up its body.

"Pikachu?" Ash said, but was suddenly hit with a rogue Thunderbolt. As he fell down, Pikachu leaped up on his stomach, its eyes closed, squealing in pain, unaware of who it was even attacking.

"ASH!" Serena squealed.

"It's okay!" said Ash, slowly sitting up in pain. "Pikachu, it's me! Ash!"

Pikachu wasn't listening, as it suddenly used Thunderbolt again. Ash cried in pain briefly, but despite the concerns of his friends, he quickly sat up and looked at his lifelong partner intently. "C'mon, Pikachu, you know me! I know what you're going through right now! Your in pain and your not thinking clearly! But it is me! And I won't leave you in such a bad way!"

"Pi-Pika?" Pikachu said, having begun to hear Ash's voice.

"Yeah, that's it!" said Ash. "I know it hurts, but you have to let me help you! I trust you, so you need to trust me!"

Slowly, Pikachu opened it eyes and saw its trainer with full eyes. "Pika, pika?" it squeaked, still reeling from the pain of the impulses, but it was done emitting electricity.

"I got you, buddy!" Ash reassured. Ash took off his hat and placed it on Pikachu's ears. Thus, the sound impulses were finally drowned out, and Pikachu was able to snap itself back to reality.

"Pika, pi!" Pikachu said excitedly.

"Yes!" said Ash, picking up Pikachu in his arms. "It's great to have you back, buddy!"

As Serena witnessed the events unfold, she almost felt envious of the relationship between the two. She wanted to share a relationship like this with Chrysaluxe, but remembering what Ash had told her earlier, she grinned to herself and knew she could still save her Pokémon.

Suddenly, Brett's PokéDex buzzed with RotomDex's voice. "Guys! Come quick! I found something!"

* * *

The group followed RotomDex, and spotted the machine emitting the impulses, guarded by the Team Shade grunts.

"That's the machine we're looking for," said Vernon. "It must be emitting the sound that's making all the Pokémon crazy."

"Guys, Pikachu and I will distract them!" said Ash. "You guys go for the machine." He turned to RotomDex. "And I want you to go find Professor Acacia, okay? Tell him that we found Team Shade's trouble."

"Roger that!" said RotomDex, giving a small salute and flying off. Ash quickly ran out from their hiding place and in front of the grunts.

"Hey, you guys!" he said, causing the grunts to look at him. "Just what do you think you're doing now!?"

"Why isn't that Pikachu attacking you?" said one of the grunts. "Crank it up!" Another grunt did so, and Pikachu could feel the extra pain in its ears, despite Ash's hat.

"C'mon, Pikachu, you can fight it this time!" Ash encouraged. Pikachu nodded and looked up with determination.

"That's one gutsy Pikachu of yours," said a grunt. "Guess we gotta do it the old fashioned way." The three grunts released an Octillery, a Shuppet, and a Gothita from their PokéBalls, all wearing earmuffs to protect them from the sound waves.

"Water Gun!"

"Shadow Ball!"

"Psybeam!"

Team Shade's Pokémon used their respective attacks, but Pikachu evaded and used Thunderbolt to blast them back.

Serena, Vernon, Brett, and Eva sneaked back around the grunts as the battle raged on. As they approached the machine, Vernon quickly located the panel that covered up all the important circuitry.

"How do we get this thing open?" he asked out loud.

Brett suddenly had an idea and picked a rock up off the ground. He jammed the thin end into the crack, and tried to pry to open. Unfortunately, nothing worked, though Eva attempted to stick her own fingernails into the panel to try and pry it off. However, Brett's rock slipped and it clanged against the metal body.

"Hey! What do you think you're doing!" One of the grunt turned to face the new intruders, and had his Octillery fire an Octozooka attack at them. The group had to run away and duck under some nearby bushes. The grunt and his Octillery tried to follow, but Pikachu shot a Thunderbolt in their way, redirecting their attention to Pikachu and Ash.

As Serena and the others hid behind the bushes, she peeked out and looked at the machine again, thinking about how they could stop it. Suddenly, she was knocked over onto the ground by an unseen force, and when she looked up, she saw an angry Chrysaluxe sitting on top of her.

"Chrysaluxe?" she said. "Is that you?" Chrysaluxe just screeched shrilly and began leaping up and down. "Chrysaluxe, please! It's me! I want to help you!"

"Serena, c'mon!" said Vernon, noticing that another grunt could see them now. "We've gotta move!"

"No way!" Serena shook her head. "I already lost Chrysaluxe once, I won't do it again!"

The grunt asked her Shuppet to launch another Shadow Ball at them, causing them to scatter. Serena, however, stayed put, grabbed Chrysaluxe, and rolled over to the side to dodge. Holding her Pokémon in her arms as it struggled, she looked it in the eyes and began to speak. "Chrysaluxe, I know you may be mad at me right now, and I don't blame you. I put you out on stage before you were ready, and you had to take the consequences. But I'm sorry. I shouldn't have done that to you."

Chrysaluxe struggling too much from the sound waves to pay attention. Suddenly, the Gothita launched a Psybeam their way, and Serena noticed that it was heading straight for Chrysaluxe. Everyone gasped as Serena suddenly blocked the shot with her back, taking the brunt for Chrysaluxe.

As it suddenly fell on the ground, Chrysaluxe finally noticed who was standing before it right now. "C-Chrysaluxe," Serena attempted to speak. "You have to know, I only let you out on stage, because I believed in you so much. And I knew it would be great for you. I knew the look on your face when you watched that performance. I know that you felt wonder, an excitement like never before. I felt that myself once. It's incredible, isn't it?"

Chrysaluxe remained motionless, continuing to listen. Eva suddenly made it beside them and added, "It's true, Chrysaluxe! I believed in you, too. I was my fault, too. But I can't thank you enough. Even if I lost, I'm glad I had the chance. I'm glad to have performed with you."

"Chrysaluxe, I know it hurts right now, but I wanna help you," said Serena. "I wanna protect you, at all costs. You're my Pokémon, so it's my responsibility. Please, wake up! Wake up!"

Chrysaluxe winced in pain but then came another Water gun from the Octillery, this time aimed at Serena. Serena turned in surprise, but then Chrysaluxe jumped in front of her. Serena gasped, but fortunately, Chrysaluxe was using Protect to nullify the damage. It then dropped to the ground, but quickly leaped back into Serena's arms.

"Chrusaluxe!" Serena said joyfully as she embraced her Pokémon. "You're back! Oh, I'm so sorry."

Chrysaluxe chirped in joy, but quickly winced in pain from the impulses. Serena quickly plucked off her hat and placed it on her Pokémon. Miraculously, it was a good fit, and drowned out the noise.

Chrysaluxe looked up at its trainer, then gained a look of determination and jumped down onto the ground to face Team Shade.

"Awesome, Chrysaluxe!" said Serena. "Use String Shot!" Chrysaluxe shot some silk from its mouth and covered up the eyes of Octillery and Gothita. "Great shot!"

"Awesome!" said Ash in background. "Now use Thunderbolt!" Pikachu shocked the two, String-Shotted Pokémon intensely.

Charmor looked down from a tree at the battle happening before it, and it wished it could do something to help. It stared at the impulse machine, and it began trying to use its inner fire in order to shoot something at it. Its attempts were in failure at first, but evevntually, it noticed some sparks leaving its mouth. Excitedly, it kept trying, until finally, it spat out an Ember attack and it landed on one of the speakers. The heat caused the wires inside to fizzle, so Charmor managed to spit out another attack to disable the other speaker.

As the noise slowly stopped, Pikachu and Chrysaluxe couldn't help but notice that something was different. Carefully, they pulled off their hats, and noticed that the noise was finally gone.

"Pikachu!"

"Chys, Chrysaluxe!"

Both Ash and Serena were able to understand what their Pokémon were saying, and Ash announced, "The sound stopped!"

"What? How?" said Brett.

"Who cares?" said Vernon. "Now I can do this!" He sent out Floattery and said, "Acid on that machine!"

"Right!" said Ash. "Pikachu, use Thunderbolt one more time on the machine!"

The two Pokémon nodded and used their respective attacks. The machine was basted, until suddenly, it was so hot, it burst wide open.

"No!" said a grunt. "Our precious machine! You will pay for that!" Shuppet, Octillery, and Gothita were geared for another attack, but suddenly, the three were swept up in a swirling vortex of sand known as Sand Tomb. Everyone turned to see Professor Acacia and Crockey standing a few feet away.

"G'day, everyone!" said Acacia. "Thanks for warming them up for me!"

RotomDex descended from above. "Good thing I found him, huh, guys?"

"Use Sand Tomb one more time!" Professor Acacia said. Crockey whipped up a cyclone of sand so strong, it launched Team Shade's Pokémon back into their trainers so hard, they fell back onto the ruins of their machine.

"Grr," said a grunt as he and his teammates recalled their Pokémon. "This isn't over! We of Team Shade will protect all from the vile natures of Pokémon!' They quickly rose up and ran of into the trees, and the grunt said into a wire on his ear, "All Team Shade operatives! We are retreating now! The plan has hit a snag!"

"I can't help but wonder," Brett mused, "if they hate Pokémon so much, then why do they battle with them?"

"Who knows?" said Ash. "I remember a group called Team Plasma who wanted to save Pokémon from being forced to fight, yet they themselves forced Pokémon to fight. Hypocrites much?"

* * *

Acacia, Ash, Serena, Vernon, Pikachu, RotomDex, Chrysaluxe, Crockey, Brett, and Eva were standing in the town square with a truck that the Professor's assistant, Stacey, brought in. The the back of the truck, the Wombites that the Porfessor had captured were being loaded up, and they were excited to run around the back, as it had been designed for a Wombite's needs.

"There we go!" said Acacia. He turned to face the townspeople. "I told you these Pokémon meant you all no harm, regardless of what Team Shade wanted you to believe. They were just trying to survive, and it was because of of Team Shade that they were acting up. But it's okay. Stacey and I are going to relocate them to a place where they can flourish without having to steal all your food."

The people all clapped their hands as the Professor prepared to board the truck. Ash and the others all walked up to see him off.

"Thanks for your help, Professor," said Ash. "I'm glad we had an expert like you to help us out."

"No worries, kids," said Acacia. "I never give up on Pokémon."

"Hey, Ash?" said Serena. "I want to thank you for what you said to me back at the Hall. I think it's thanks to you that I understand Chrysaluxe a bit better now." Chrysaluxe chirped happily in Serena's arms.

"It's okay, Serena," said Ash. "You don't have to thank me for anything. It's 'cause you and Chrysaluxe trust each other that you were able to help it. Just like with me and Pikachu."

"Pika!" said Pikachu from Ash's shoulder.

"Or me with Crockey!" said Acacia, as Crockey emerged from his shoulder. "Well, we should be going now. See you all later."

"Goodbye, Dad!" Brett waved as the truck pulled out.

"So long, Professor!" waved everyone else.

"Well, what's next for you two?" Ash said as he turned to face Brett and Eva.

"I think I know how to beat Kai now," said Brett. "Thanks for helping me train Ash. It really helped. I'm gonna beat him now for sure!"

"I'm sure you will," said Ash.

"I think I better go cheer him on!" Eva said. "Everyone needs a little motivation, right, Brett?"

"Um, right," Brett stuttered. "Well, in that case, we better get going. See you later, guys."

As Brett turned to leave, Eva walked up to Chrysaluxe in Serena's arms. "Thanks again fro trying to help me, Chrysaluxe. You were a great friend to do that. Both you and Serena."

Both Chrysaluxe and Serena nodded. "Y'know, we're gonna start Pageanting too pretty soon," said Serena. "Don't think we'll hold anything back."

"You better not," Eva winked. She turned to follow Brett. "See ya!"

Serena looked at Chrysaluxe in her arms and said to it, "So the real reason you ran off is because you were ashamed?" Chrysaluxe sadly nodded. "You don't have to be! Getting up on that stage alone took guts! I know I get Butterfrees in my stomach every time I'm on stage. I wasn't upset, Chrysaluxe. You did your best, for both Eva and me. And I'm very proud of you for that."

Chrysaluxe felt stunned, but happily chirped towards its smiling trainer.

"See, you guys do understand each other," said Ash. "Even if it takes a lot of work, you guys are gonna shine together!" Serena giggled as Charmor looked at Ash from behind a bush, curiously.

"Say, guys," said Vernon, "I hope you don't mind, but could I travel with you a bit longer?" He pulled out the slip Cameron gave him. "I think I've found a new goal! I'm gonna get recommended for that Robert Kennedy movie, and I'm going to save my reputation."

"Of course, you can come!" Ash said.

"Pika, pi!" said Pikachu excitedly.

"I was actually hoping you'd stay," said Serena, beaming along with Chrysaluxe.

"The more the merrier!" said RotomDex.

"Perfect!" said Vernon, before striking a pose and pointing. "Onward, my friends! Our destinies await!"

* * *

Team Rocket managed to slink away from Team Shade, and were now contacting Giovanni through their communicator.

"We did it, boss!" they all chimed. "We actually did it!"

"Very good," said Giovanni. "Now if you'll show me the designs right now, I can give the image to one of our scientists so he can copy it."

"Sure," said Meowth, holding out the blueprint he stole. He showed to Giovanni, but their boss's face suddenly turned red with rage as he yelled, "Is this some kind of joke!? Did you even look at the design!?"

"Huh?" said Meowth, as he turned to look at the blueprint. His face suddenly lost all color as he noticed it was actually a blueprint for a surround sound stereo system.

"You grabbed the wrong blueprint!" said Jessie.

"Even when we win, we lose," sulked James.

"Great, what a waste," Meowth sulked. "Nothing but surround sound and a lousy little cube." He pulled out a silver, metal cube, but then it suddenly emitted noise that made him cover his ears in pain.

"What is that thing?" asked James

"I don't know," said Meowth. "I just took it from that shelf of inventions. Figured it might be worth something to sell."

Giovanni examined the device, and suddenly, all his rage vanished. "Meowth, you little genius!" he declared, earning strange looks from the trio. "I think that's actually the prototype from of the invention whose blueprints you were supposed to steal! Quick, send that back to HQ, and we can start decoding it!"

Giovanni signed off, and the Team Rocket trio looked at each other shocked, but quickly became overjoyed and leaped into the air.

"We did it!" said Jessie.

"Hey, you mean _I_ did it!" Meowth insisted.

"Finally, Team Rocket escapes with a legitimate win for once!" said James.

Suddenly, Jigglypuff emerged from a nearby bush and was delighted to see Team Rocket again. "Jiggly-puff, jig, jiggly, jig, jigglypuff," it sang.

"You couldn't have given us a second to enjoy that, could you, world?" Meowth groggily complained, as Jigglypuff's song slowly put them to sleep, causing Jigglypuff to get enraged and begin doodling on their faces again.

 _So Serena's come to a new understanding with Chrysaluxe, even after Team Shade strikes again! But what is Team Rocket up to? Have we seen the last of Team Shade? Shall the bonds between our heroes and their Pokémon continue to grow? We'll find out, as the journey continues!_

 **TO BE CONTINUED...**


	12. Sooner or Slater

_After dealing with Team Shade in Corwald City, our heroes are finally ready to move forward with their journey!_

Ash, Pikachu, Serena, Vernon, and RotomDex were walking down a path through a small woods, and Ash asked, "So, RotomDex, where should we go from here?"

"Well," said RotomDex as he pulled up a map, "The next Pokémon Gym exists in Ironriver City. We can reach that town if we trek through Violetrose Town, and I believe we can reach it in about a week."

"A week?" said Ash. "Are you serious? It's gonna take that long?"

"It's the quickest way," said RotomDex.

"Well, if we wanna make it, then we better get started," said Serena, walking out forwards. "I can't wait to see what else is out there."

Suddenly, they heard a loud growling. Looking around, they slowly noticed Ash clutching his stomach in embarrassment. "Sorry," he said. "It's been a while since I've eaten anything."

"Same old Ash," Serena good-naturedly rolled her eyes. "I know! I picked up some ingredients from Corwald City! I can make us lunch before we get going."

"Sounds great!" Ash exclaimed. They all then walked forward to get situated, but over in the background, a certain Charmor of a different color peeked out from under a bush and decided to follow them.

Then, a new character entered the scene. He was tall with black hair that covered the sides of his head, had green eyes, wore an orange and black jacket, blue jeans, a black beanie, and was carrying a Cyndaquil on his shoulder.

"C'mon, where did that Charmor go?" he said. "He's gotta be around here somewhere."

"Cynda, Cyndaquil!" the Cyndaquil exclaimed, pointing its nose towards another part of the woods. The boy looked up and spied the tail of the Charmor moving away.

"Aha! Nice work, Cyndaquil!" He gently petted the top of Cyndaquil's head. "We catch that Charmor, we'll be one step closer to being Fire Masters!" He and Cyndaquil then quickly followed Charmor.

* * *

Ash, Serena, and Vernon sat around a picnic table spread across the ground, eating sandwiches and macaroons, while sipping lemonade, while Pikachu, Humbeat, Braixen, Chrysaluxe, and Floattery sitting off to the side, snacking on PokéPuffs. RotomDex was merely sitting under a tree during all this, as he didn't need any food, so he had decided to pass the time by playing a video game on his PokéDex body.

"Mmm!" Ash mumbled as he stuffed his face. "I forgot how good your food was, Serena!"

"Well, I've been practicing a lot recently," Serena grinned.

"I've had tons of caterers, but you have to be one of the best, Serena," Vernon said, munching his sandwich.

"Thank you!"

Pikachu downed its PokéPuff before reaching for another, until it noticed something moving in the bushes. Carefully peeking forward, it noticed a bronze streak jet by. It looked inside the bushes, but then it heard a crunching noise behind it. It turned around to see the shiny Charmor now nibbling on some of Pikachu's PokéPuffs.

"Pika!" It said, clearly angry. Charmor took notice of this and quickly ran to hide.

"What's going on over there, Pikachu?" Ash said.

"Pika! Pika Pi!" Pikachu pointed towards the bushes accusingly. Ash looked over to see a bronze streak hiding within it. He slowly inched forward until he got a full view of Charmor nibbling on one of the PokéPuffs from Pikachu's bowl.

"Whoa, could that..." Ash said briefly stunned. He peered forward and said, "Hey, excuse me?"

Charmor slowly turned to face Ash, and paused. "It's you, isn't it?" said Ash. Slowly, he backed up and said, "It's okay, we're all friends here, remember?"

Charmor did not move at first, but it slowly inched forward until it was in full view of everyone, who stopped eating to look at the newcomer.

"Hey, isn't that..." said Vernon.

"I think it is," said Ash. "It's the Charmor from before."

"Oh, hey, there," Serena said, walking closer. "What're you doing here?"

"Ch... Charmor," Charmor squeaked out. Suddenly, its stomach began to growl.

"Are you hungry?" said Ash, kneeling down to Charmor's height. "We can make you some more. Serena makes a mean patch of PokéPuffs."

"Char... Charmor," Charmor nodded.

A few moments later, Serena laid out a plate full of red PokéPuffs. "Here you go!" said Serena, beaming. "These are a special recipe I made for Braixen, so it should be good for a Fire Type like you."

Charmor took a small bite out of one of the PokéPuffs, and after a beat, its eyes grew huge and it spat out a terrifying fire so intense, Ash, Serena, and Vernon were burned and left covered in ashes.

"I guess the secret recipe was too much for the little guy?" said Vernon.

"Maybe so..." said Serena. However, Charmor instead got a big grin on its face and began eating them all right up.

"Someone might wanna get a bucket of water," Vernon said, taking a tentative step back. However, Ash knelt down to look at the little Pokémon.

"Man, you're pretty hungry, eh?" he said. "So what're you doing here? Oh, I bet you finally got tired of the way those other Charmors treated you, huh? Well, there's no need for you to hang out around a crew like that!"

Charmor paused from its food and looked up to Ash to nod. "But why'd you come all the way out here?" Ash asked.

Before Charmor could respond, they noticed a small shuffle in the nearby bushes. As the noise grew louder, Charmor became frightened and ran off.

"Hey! Wait up!" Ash called out. From the bushes came the young lad from before, his Cyndaquil close behind him.

"Alright, where'd you go," the young man said, checking under the bushes.

"Excuse us, um, can we help you?" Vernon inquired of their new visitor.

The young man looked over to the group and said, "Oh, hello. Cyndaquil and I were just passing through. We were looking for a rare Pokémon, actually."

"Cynda, cyndaquil!" Cyndaquil greeted.

"Nice to meet you," Ash greeted. "I'm Ash by the way, and these are my Pokémon, Pikachu and Humbeat." He gestured towards his Pokémon, who recited with a "Pika!" and a "Beat!"

"I'm Serena, and these are my Pokémon, Braixen and Chrysaluxe," Serena introduced herself as her Pokémon nodded when their names were said.

"The name's RotomDex!" RotomDex floated towards their new visitor.

"And this is Floattery," Vernon pointed to his Pokémon, "And I guess that makes me Vernon, though frankly, I'm sure I needn't any introduction!" Vernon suddenly struck a pose.

"No, I'm sorry, I do not know a Vernon," the young man said.

Vernon immediately face-faulted. (For those who don't know, face-faulting means the anime-esque form of falling down on your neck with your limps sticking in the air.) "You've gotta be kidding me," said Vernon. "Four years missing and somehow the world had its memory erased."

"Anyway, my name's Slater," said the young man," and this my partner Cyndaquil."

"Cynda!" Cyndaquil jumped forward to introduce itself. Serena couldn't resist picking it up and giving it a stroke on the head.

"Hey, you a cute little guy, aren't you?" she said, and Cyndaquil chittered happily.

Slater rolled his eyes in response. "What is is with girls and cute things..." he muttered to himself.

"So what're you doing here again?" Ash asked. "You said you were looking for a rare Pokémon? What did it look like?"

Cyndaquil hopped back up onto its trainer's shoulders, who said, "It's actually a Charmor. And it's of a different color. I saw it run into these woods earlier and I'm gonna catch it!"

"A Charmor... of a different color..." Ash repeated.

"Did you guys see him run by here?" said Slater.

"Well, we saw him here... and way back in Corwald Forest. I think he actually followed us all the way out here, in fact." Vernon explained.

"What? Why would he do that?" Slater wondered.

"I'm not sure..." Ash paused, "but why would you want to capture it?"

"Simple," said Slater. "It's a Fire-Type, and one of the rarest Fire-Types of all! And I need to obtain it to prove myself a Fire Master!"

"Fire Master?" said Ash.

"It means I intend to be the very best user of Fire-Type Pokémon in world," Slater explained. "Now where did that little guy run off to?" He began searcing the bushes around them.

"Well, um, I think we should warn you, that Charmor is a little but shy," Ash said.

"That's okay, I can work with him," Slater insisted. "So what are you guys doing out here?"

"We were actually on our way to Violetrose Town," Serena explained.

"Yeah," said Ash. "I'm collecting Badges for the Ralia League, so I can become a Pokémon Master!"

"Pika Pika!" Pikachu resounded by hopping onto its trainer's shoulders.

"That so?" said Slater. "In that case, why don't I help you practice? C'mpn, let's have a battle, right here, right now."

"Sounds good to me!"

* * *

Ash and Slater stood on opposite ends of the forest floor, with Serena and RotomDex sitting off to the side and Vernon offering to referee.

"Alright, we'll do one-on-one! Send out you Pokémon!" Vernon said.

"Okay, Pikachu, I choose you!" Ash pointed his finger. Pikachu leaped off his shoulder and onto the battlefield.

"Okay, then, go, Cyndaquil!" Slater sent his own Pokémon into battle.

"Cynda, cyndaquil!"

"Okay, battle begin!" yelled Vernon.

 **BATTLE BEGIN!**

"Pikachu, use Electro Ball!"

Pikachu leaped up in the air and manifested a ball of electricity on the end of its tail before hurling it at its opponent.

"Cyndaquil, use Flamethrower to jump!" Slater called. Cyndaquil's back ignited, and it aimed a Flamethrower attack directly downward to push itself off the ground and into the air, thus causing Pikachu's attack to miss entirely.

"Whoa!" said Serena. "I didn't know you could use Flamethrower like that!"

"Analyzing battle data," RotomDex said, scanning the battle.

"Now use Flame Wheel!" Slater ordered. Cyndaquil span in vertical circle before forming a wheel out of fire and charging at Pikachu.

"Pika!" Pikachu said in shock as it was knocked back.

"Now use Lava Plume!" Cyndaquil spat flames and smog from its back, covering the area and buffeting Pikachu.

From above, Jessie, James, and Meowth looked down on the battle from some trees. "What do we have here?" Meowth said, spying on the battle through binoculars. "Looks like the twerp's found himself another playmate."

"What? Let me see that," said Jessie, snatching the binoculars away and looking through them. "Ooh! That's a feisty looking Cyndaquil there!" Suddenly rising upwards, she declared, "That's it! I must have it!"

"What? Why?" James and Meowth said simultaneously.

"Why else? Because I need that little creature's entrancing cuteness to improve my next performance as Madame Jocelyn! With that combo of cuteness and fiery charm, we'll be irresistible!" Jessie began practically prancing on the tree branches as she envisioned a performance with her and Cyndaquil at another Pokémon Pageant.

"Is that really necessary?" James groaned.

"It is if we can nab Pikachu in between, I bet!" Meowth whispered to him.

"Shake it off, Pikachu!" Ash demanded. "Use Quick Attack!"

"Pika, pika, pika, pika!" Pikachu became outlined in white as it charged forward, and bashed Cyndaquil backwards.

"Great! Now use Volt Tackle!" Pikachu charged forward as it became outlined in an arrow of electricity.

"Pika, pika, pika, pika, pika!"

"Use Flamethrower to jump!" Slater commanded. Cyndaquil aimed its flames at the ground once more.

"Not this time!" Ash said. "Quick, Pikachu, bash an Iron Tail against the ground!"

Pikachu's tails turned silver and was whacked against the ground, launching Pikachu upwards and allowing it to collide with Cyndaquil in middair.

"Cynda!" Cyndaquil cried out as it fell backwards.

"Not bad," Slater said, though his frown implied we was not convinced. "Use Flamethrower!"

"Pikachu, use Thunderbolt!" Ash cried out.

"Cyndaquil!" Cyndaquil cried as it spat a torrent of flames from its mouth.

"Pi-ka-chu!" Pikachu said as it blasted elctricity at its opponent. The two blast collided and created an explosion, sending residue of the explosion everywhere. Serena, RotomDex, and Vernon had to take a step back to avoid getting hit, but some of that residue hit the tree that Team Rocket was sitting on.

"Whoa!" Meowth yelled as the entire tree shook. "Hey, what gives!?"

"I think we're going doooooowwwwwn!" James cried out as the trio fell out of the tree, landing on the ground below hard. The noise got the attention of the group, who looked in their direction.

"What the- Team Rocket!?" Ash said, annoyed. "What're you guys doing here?" As soon as Ash said, "Team Rocket", Slater eyes grew wider.

"Hmph," Jessie huffed as she, James, and Meowth rose from the ground. "Prepare for trouble, take a wild guess!"

"And make it double," James added, "if you guessed Pikachu, that's a yes!"

"To protect the world from devastation!"

"To unite all people within our nation!"

"To denounce the evils of-"

"HOLD IT!" Slater's voice suddenly cut through Team Rocket's motto, causing everyone to stare at him in confusion. "You guys are with Team Rocket?"

"Yes, indeed we are are," Jessie said rather smugly. "And we will that twerps like you kindly not to interrupt our motto!"

Suddenly, Slater's eyes practically turned a terrifying red, as he suddenly began seething. "Team... Rocket..." he said quietly.

"Um, Slater? Are you okay?" Ash asked, about to put a hand on his shoulder. However, Cyndaquil suddenly got in the and pushed Ash back, before waving its arms as if to say, "Uh, uh, bad idea!"

"I can't believe it! Team Rocket has the nerve to show up here? In the Ralia region? You punks just can't be satisfied can you!?"

"Erm, I'm sure we don't know what you're talking about," James insisted, though he and his teammates looked intimidated now.

"Don't you lie to me! I know _everything_ about Team Rocket! Everything you touched and everything you destroyed!" Slater seethed. "And now, maybe it's time you finally got what's been coming to you! Cyndaquil, Flamethrower!"

"Cyn-da-quil!" Cyndaquil blasted the three with hot fire.

"AUGH!" the Team Rocket trio cried out.

* * *

 **Who's that Pok** **émon?**

 **It swims by rotating its tails like a screw. It has a flotation sacs that it inflates to peek its head out of the water.**

* * *

"Hey! You better calm down, buster! This is not how Team Rocket takes it!"

"We'll see about that!" Slater said as he pulled out a PokéBall and threw it. From it formed a Houndoom, who entered the arena with a fierce growl.

"Hmph, you wanna fight! Then let's fight!" Jessie said as she and James pulled out their own PokéBalls.

Suddenly, however, Slater commanded Houndoom to use Thief, causing it to quickly swipe the PokéBalls away from the two, placing them in Slater's hand before Team Rocket even realized what happened. "Whoops, no more Pokémon for you," Slater said.

"Okay, this twerp is starting to scare me," Meowth said.

"Houndoom, use Inferno!" Houndoom leapt up and spat a stream of blue fire at Team Rocket.

"Yipes! Gotta think fast-" Meowth said. The Inferno hit them and sent them rocketing off.

"We're blasting off again!"

Ash and his friends stared incredulously at Slater. "Whoa, Slater, what did you get so intense for?" Ash asked.

"I don't know whether to be impressed or intimidated," Serena said.

However, Slater was still seething, and he suddenly looked at RotomDex. "You, can you you call Officer Jenny for me?"

"Huh? Me?" RotomDex said surprised.

"C'mon! Those goons must still be close by! We gotta catch 'em! Put 'em in jail where they belong!"

"Wait, I know Team Rocket's definitely annoying," said Ash, "but I don't think they're worth getting worked up over."

"You guys have no idea just how terrible Team Rocket actually is!" Slater insisted. "All they care about is taking what isn't theirs and leaving an ugly footprint behind as they go along. These people work for Team Rocket, so they're going down!"

"Actually, guys, we definitely need to go looking for them," Vernon pointed out, "because unfortunately..." he pointed to the spot where Cyndaquil was standing.

"What!? No, they are NOT taking Cyndaquil!" Slater declared before marching off. "Don't worry, Cyndaquil, I'm gonna find you buddy!"

"C'mon, guys, we should follow him," Vernon insisted. "It's not safe."

"For him or Team Rocket?" Ash asked.

"Probably both."

* * *

"Will you relax!?" Meowth said as he wrestled with Cyndaquil. The cat Pokémon had managed to grab the Fire Mouse Pokémon just before being launched off, but now it was proving to be unruly, even as Team Rocket attempted to force it into a cage.

"Cyn-da-quiiiiil!" it shrieked, igniting its back, burning Meowth's arms.

"Oi, its as crazy as the twerp who raised it!" Meowth complained. Eventually, the flames got so intense, Meowth had to let go.

"MEOWTH! WHAT ARE YOU DOING!?" James and Jessie yelled as Cyndaquil landed and Meowth tried blowing on his burns. The two humans turned to go after Cyndaquil again, but were suddenly blinded by a Smokescreen attack clouding their vision.

"Umph!" the two sputtered. Cyndaquil was wondering what happened, when the shiny Charmor suddenly appeared, picked it up on its back and ran for it.

* * *

"Cyndaquil! Cyndaquil!" Slater called out. Houndoom was sniffing the forest, trying to find their friend, while Ash and his friends tailed behind.

"I feel bad that he lost Cyndaquil to those three," said Serena. "I hope we find them soon."

"Yeah, and I hope Team Rocket is wise enough to just give Cyndaquil back and run," Vernon added.

Ash decided to walk up to Slater and talk to him. "Hey, Slater, are you okay?"

"I'll be okay when I have Cyndaquil back and those three chumps are behind bars," Slater growled as he looked behind some bushes. He looked at RotomDex. "Well, have you called Officer Jenny yet?"

"I'm afraid my signal just isn't strong enough from way out here," RotomDex explained.

"Hey, Slater, I know you're worried about Cyndaquil right now, but I wanted to ask you, why do you get so worked up about Team Rocket?"

Slater sighed and sat down on a tree stump. "Okay, look, if you must know, I'm intense about Team Rocket because I'm just sick and tired of them! I have seen what this vain and selfish team has done to people. And I know that they want to rule everything so that they can be entitled to everything."

"Well, I too have actually been dealing with them for a pretty long time," Ash explained. "I mean these three are always after my Pikachu, or doing something else to inconvenience us, and I too have seen how dangerous the _rest_ of Team Rocket can be. I remember one time in Unova, they tried to take control of the Forces of Nature so that they could control the world."

"Well, then you know where I'm coming from," Slater said, looking at Ash with a rare sincere face. "I've seen what these people will do if they go unchecked. I get this way about them 'cause I figured it was time someone finally did something about them."

"Cynda, cyndaquil!" came a familiar voice. Everyone turned their heads to see the Fire Mouse Pokémon riding in on the back of a familiar face.

"Cyndaquil!" Slater said ecstatically, as he ran towards his beloved Pokémon.

"Hey, isn't that...?" Ash noted.

"Yeah, it's that Charmor again!" Vernon said. "What do you know? He's not so shy after all."

"Char, charmor!" Charmor celebrated under Cyndaquil's weight. However, suddenly a net fell from the sky, encasing the two Fire-Types within.

"What!? What now?" Slater demanded.

Jessie, James, and Meowth suddenly appeared on the scene once more. "Prepare for trouble, if you'll let us finish this time..."

"Make it double, you'll understand our crime!"

"To protect the world from devastation!"

"To unite all people-"

"Houndoom, use Inferno," Slater deadpanned. Houndoom spat out a swirling blue inferno at Team Rocket, who only barely dodged after realizing what happened.

"Hey! Team Rocket's motto is sacred! You really need to stop interrupting!" Jessie complained.

"Do you chumps have to say that every time you make an appearance?" Slater said.

"Unfortunately, yes," both Ash and Serena sighed.

"Look, punks, I don't care what it is that you think that you need," said Slater. "So just give me my Pokémon back, and maybe I'll go easy on you."

"Look who's talking," James fired back. "You stole _our_ Pokémon, you know."

"What, these?" said Slater, pulling out the two PokéBalls Houndoom had snatched before. "Look, I'd be happy to give them back... then if they for some reason want to stay with you punks, I'm sure Officer Jenny will be happy to let you all share a cell."

"What's with this guy?" said Meowth. "Whenever we battle the twerps, it's just banter, we blast off, and then repeat. Why is he so determined to take us down?"

"Because you're with Team Rocket," said Slater. "And as long as that is the truth, I'm no gonna just ignore you."

"Look, buster-" Meowth started again, until he noticed something from behind Slater. "Hey, where'd the purple twerp and the twerpette go?"

"Over here!" Serena singsonged. The trio turned around in shock to see that Vernon and Serena had managed to grab the net from them and set the Pokémon free.

"Thanks for keeping them talking, Slater!" Vernon added.

"Grr, do these twerps care nothing for tradition?" Jessie seethed.

Suddenly, Wobbuffet popped out of its PokéBall and and yelled "Wobbuffet!" and Mime Jr. appeared on top of James's head.

"Fine," said Jessie, "we may not have our best Pokémon, but we can still give you a fight!"

"Enough of this!" Slater announced. "Houndoom, use Inferno again!" Houndoom unleashed its attack, but Wobbuffet quickly got in the way to bounce it away with a Mirror Coat.

"Quick, Mime Jr., use Mimic!" James said. Mime Jr. leaped into the air and launched an identical Inferno attack at Houndoom.

"Pikachu!" Ash stepped into the fight with his partner, "use Thunderbolt!"

"Pikachuuuuu!" Pikachu's lightning quickly canceled out the Inferno attack.

"Try using Inferno all around them!" James demanded. Mime Jr. surrounded the two with multiple fire attacks, causing Slater to stumble and drop the two PokéBalls he was holding.

"Finally!" James said, as he and Jessie picked up their PokéBalls. "It's good to have you back, old friends!"

"We gotta do something, Serena!" Vernon said.

"Right!" Serena agreed. She and Vernon pulled out their own PokéBalls, but down below them, they noticed an intense look on Charmor's face. "Charmor? Are you okay?" Serena asked.

"Use that Inferno once more, and aim it straight at the twerp!" James demanded. At this, Charmor got upset, and tried focusing its power once again. Suddenly, it began spinning and it charged forward in a circle of flames, which then collided with Mime Jr. midair. It had learned Flame Wheel.

"Whoa!" said Ash, observing from far away.

Mime Jr. suddenly got upset and spat another Inferno at Charmor, who quickly ducked. The attack then almost hit Wobbuffet, who quickly used Mirror Coat again. The attack bounced off and went straight for a scared Charmor.

"Charmor, no!" Ash yelled. "Look out!" Fortunately, Cyndaquil charged forward and managed to knock Charmor out of the way, causing Mime Jr. to suddenly take the full brunt of the move, and causing it to land in James's arms, knocked out.

"No! Mime Jr.!" James cried out, before looking angrily at Charmor. "You're going to pay for that!"

He moved forward, prepared to crush the scared Pokémon with his bare hands, but fortunately, Ash and Pikachu ran forward in front of the two Fire-Types, and Ash called out, "Thunderbolt!"

"Pikachuuuuuu!" Pikachu unleashed its full force attack, hitting James and sending him sky high.

"I'm blasting off alone!"

"James!" Jessie cried out. She pulled out her PokéBall, prepared to send out Napiat, but Charmor, noticing this, spat some Smokescreen in her face, blinding her.

"Alright, it's your turn!" Slater said as he, Houndoom, and Cyndaquil stood in front of Jessie. Wobbuffet noticed this and prepared another Mirror Coat, but Charmor blinded it with another Smokescreen. Thus, Cyndaquil and Houndoom launched it and Jessie sky high with a dual Flamethrower.

"We're blasting off second!"

"Wobbuffet!"

"Errr," Meowth said, clearly distressed now. "Okay, twerps, um, how 'bout I just walk away, find my team, and we can, uh, call this a draw, huh?"

Slater grabbed him by his tail and lifted him up in the air. "Or I could just drag you back to town and give you to Officer Jenny, huh?"

"Hey!" Meowth said, scrambling his arms. "Take it easy already, would ya!?" Suddenly, he used Fury Swipes and slashed Slater's arm, causing him to drop the cat Pokémon. Meowth quickly got up and ran up to Pikachu. "Quick, pal, blast me off, blast me off!" Pikachu only looked at him unamused, so Meowth decided to poke Pikachu's cheeks, giving himself a massive shock and launching him away.

"I'm blasting off to safety!"

* * *

 **It's Buizel!**

* * *

"No!" Slater charged forward before giving up. "I can't believe they just got away!"

"It's okay," said Ash, putting a hand on Slater's shoulder. "They won't bother us now."

"Ugh," said Slater. "Well, at least you're safe now, Cyndaquil." He picked up his excited Pokémon, who chirped in excitement, as even Houndoom grunt in happiness that its friend was okay.

"See?" said RotomDex. "Everything worked out."

"Thanks in large part to you, Charmor," Ash said as he knelt down to the Armor Pokémon's height. "You really saved me and Pikachu back there, y'know?"

"Char, charmor!" Charmor said as it jumped into Ash's hands, knocking him down as Ash laughed goodnaturedly.

Slater observed this, and finally recognized this Charmor as the one he'd been chasing this morning. However, something else was clicking in his head.

"Say, Ash, you said earlier that Charmor came all the way from Corwald Forest?"

"Well, yeah," said Ash, sitting up.

Slater paused for a second, and then said, "Say, Ash, how 'bout we finish our earlier battle? Only this time, I want you to battle with that Charmor."

"Huh?" Ash said. "With Charmor?" He looked back down at the armadillo-like Pokémon, who was surprisingly looking at him with fierce determination. As Ash looked in its eyes, he slowly understood, so he grinned and said, "Okay! Let's try it!"

* * *

Ash and Charmor, and Slater and Cyndaquil were standing on opposite ends of a small field, as Vernon, Serena, Pikachu, and RotomDex watched.

"Just like before, one-on-one!" Slater said. "Use Flame Wheel!" Cyndaquil wrapped itself in flames, and charged forward.

"You two, Charmor! Flame Wheel!" Ash commanded. Charmor charged forward and bashed against Cyndaquil, and both Pokémon were knocked back.

"Use Ember!" Ash commanded. Charmor spat a small stream of flames from its mouth, hitting Cyndaquil, but unfortunately, doing little to affect it.

"Now, Cyndaquil, use Lava Plume!" Cyndaquil's Lava Plume buffeted Charmor, leaving it dazed.

"Hang in there, Charmor!" Ash said. "Use Flame Wheel again!" Charmor charged forward, and managed to land a direct hit, knocking Cyndaquil on its back.

"Not bad," Slater admitted. "Now use Swift!" Cyndaquil spat small, white stars from its mouth, pummeling Charmor.

"Use Ember!" Ash said, and Charmor spat another Ember attack at Cyndaquil, seemingly doing more damage this time.

However, Cyndaquil was ordered to use Flame Wheel, and it quickly bashed Charmor out of the way.

"No, Charmor!" Ash cried out, as he saw Charmor landing with swirls in its eyes.

"Charmor is unable to battle, so we win!" Slater said and Cyndaquil jumped excitedly into his arms.

Ash walked up to hurt Charmor, who looked up to him sadly. To Charmor's surprise, however, Ash began stroking the top of its head.

"You were awesome out there, Charmor," Ash said. "I think I can understand now. You followed me all this way because you wanted to get stronger, didn't you? You wanted me to help you because I believed in you so much."

Charmor nodded. Slater walked up and added, "I know I was going to be the Fire Master, but I think it's clear that this Charmor belongs with you, Ash. It needs someone who understands it to help it reach its full potential."

"Yeah, you're right," Ash agreed as he looked back at Charmor. "What do you think? You wanna get stronger together?" Charmor excitedly leaped back into Ash's arms at this. "I'll take that as a yes." He pulled out and empty PokéBall and tapped the button on Charmor's nose, causing it to turn into red energy, go into the ball, which shook three times before clicking.

"Alright!" Ash cried out as he struck a pose. "I just caught Charmor!"

"Congratulations, Ash!' Serena said, walking up.

"I know the two of you will do great together," Vernon added.

"Well, on that note, I think I'm gonna go now," Slater said. "I've got a lot to do." Suddenly, his expression turned serious. "But really, guys, I want you remember what I told you about Team Rocket. They're not gonna be satisfied with being a nuisance. They need someone to oppose them, so I'm asking you all be ready to do that, alright?"

Ash, Serena, Vernon, Pikachu, and RotomDex all paused, before Ash nodded and gave an affirmative, "Sure thing! See you later, Slater!"

"Oh, like I haven't heard that a million times before," Slater rolled his eyes. "Well, see ya!"

"Bye-bye!" the group waved goodbye before turning to continue on their own journey. As Slater was walking away, on his shoulder, Cyndaquil started saying, "Cynda, cynda."

"You know what Team Rocket has done, Cyndaquil," said Slater. "When it comes to those three clowns, I might go easy, mostly because I find them incredibly pathetic, but if the rest of Team Rocket thinks it can invade an innocent place like Ralia, they're gonna have to answer to us first! Looks like being Fire Masters is gonna have to wait. I've already taken down many Team Rocket operations around the globe, come to understand their structure, and there was even that one time I went to rescue a poor fanfiction writer from another dimension from these chumps-"

"Cyndaquil!" Cyndaquil said sternly, its back igniting.

"Oh, right, I'm not supposed to talk about that here, am I?" Slater said. "Well, either way, I've had enough of Team Rocket taking everything from everyone. Especially good old... Giovanni. If they want a fight, then for the sake of Ralia, I'll give them one."

 _Yikes! I can't tell who's in more trouble, Slater, or Team Rocket! Still, our heroes journey continues with a new friend in their group, and even a new friend in Slater. More to come, as the journey continues!_

* * *

 **Dang it, Slater, you weren't supposed to talk about that here! Well, at least Yuni Oha will understand what he meant. Anyways, I'm glad I finally got to introduce you all to Slater. Just now that he will play a very important role in my story. Thank you fro reading, and I'll see you guys again soon!**


	13. Creative Differences

_We now rejoin our heroes as they continue to journey to Violetrose Town, and are preparing for arrival._

Ash stood in between Pikachu and Charmor, as he attempted to train them for his next gym battle. "Charmor, try using Flame Wheel one more time!" Charmor rolled forward cloaked in flames, charging towards Pikachu.

"Now, Pikachu, try to dodge it!" Pikachu quickly jumped to the side, and moved out of the way of the attack.

"Nice, Pikachu!" Ash praised before turning his attention to Charmor. "And Charmor, make sure you trust which way you're rolling. It'll help you go a lot faster, okay?" Charmor nodded as it got back into position to try again.

Meanwhile, Serena was coaching Braixen on moves to use for the next Pokémon Pageant, as Chrysaluxe sat on a log from the side. "Okay, Braixen, try spinning your Flamethrower!" Braixen lit up its twig and spun its arm around like a cyclone, creating a fiery display. However, the sight of it caused Chrysaluxe to shudder. Serena, however, noticed this, and began petting it on the head. "It's okay. Nothing to be afraid of," she reassured as Chrysaluze slowly opened its eyes again.

Off to the side, Vernon had asked RotomDex to help him try new personas, in order to ready himself for his next acting gig. Currently, they were practicing with the Toxicity persona.

"I wish I knew what it was that Cameron say no to this whole thing," Vernon wondered out loud, sporting his old costume. "Wait, maybe I should have gone for the dark and brooding version!" He did a dramatic twirl, and revealed the darkened half of his costume. "Look at me," he said in a deep voice. "I scream pain in the inside, and now I'm gonna make you scream pain on the outside."

"Nah, that's too much," said RotomDex, filming Vernon with its camera function.

"Well, there must be a way to touch it up," Vernon said, removing his cape. "It's just, something here is missing, I just can't put my finger on it."

"Floater, Floater," Floattery came in, wearing a suit that was completely different from the one it wore at the audition. It had a black mask that resembled eyes on its head, it was carrying fake tentacles it had attached to itself, and had yellow spikes on its back jutting out in opposite directions.

"Floattery, what are you wearing?" Vernon complained. "That's not the costume I made you. I spent weeks on that thing you know!"

"Float, Floattery!" Floattery said back.

"Whadda mean you didn't like it?" Vernon said. "We need matching costumes. I'm the hero and your the sidekick, remember?"

"Floattery," Floattery buzzed, its tentacles briefly showing off an electric charge.

"Alright, calm down," said Vernon. "We'll worry about your look later. For now, I need your opinion. Whadda ya think of this?" He twirled again and said, "I am your worst nightmare incarnate. I am that itch on your back you just can't seem to reach. I am Toxicity!"

Floattery floated there silently, until it shook it head disapprovingly. "Grr," growled Vernon. "I didn't think finding a catchphrase would be so hard. I mean, all the good ones are always taken."

"Well, maybe if you dropped the brooding voice," said RotomDex, flying in front of him. "I guess it just comes off as trying too hard."

"Alright, back to the campy version then," Vernon said, as he spun back into the purple costume. "Holy colossal clouds! I can't believe it."

Floattery and RotomDex both glared silently at him, and Vernon quickly said, "Yeah, yeah, I regretted it as soon as I said it." He turned to sit down on a stump. "I don't get it, what is my act missing?"

"Floattery, Floattery!" Floattery shouted to its trainer.

"What? You think my character is flat?! You think he has no personality?!" Vernon said.

"Float, Float," Floattery continued.

"Well, what do you suggest I do about that?" challenged Vernon.

Floattery floated over to RotomDex, tapped a few buttons on its screen, before RotomDex scanned Floattery and Floattery began messing around with RotomDex's camera filter. He eventually settled on one that made it look like he was enormous, had powerful aura, had an even better costume that gave him a flowing cape, and his tentacles looked ready to attack, and the mask came with blue, glowing eyes.

"Wait, I think I get it," Vernon said. "You want to be promoted from being sidekick to be my equal partner, don't you?"

Floattery excitedly nodded. "I think it's a great idea!" RotomDex said. "I bet it could expand your backstory a little better."

Vernon sat down and thought about Floattery's idea a bit. He thought that expanding Floattery's backstory, he could better improve the relationship between their characters. However, he thought back to how he had designed his act. He wanted to make this comeback more than anything. But what if... what if...

"Uh, no, no I don't think so," Vernon stood up waving his hands. "I'm sorry, but I want to go with my idea."

Floattery floated there stunned, before its tentacles sparked and it went away in a huff. Vernon looked after his partner feeling a bit bad about his words. RotomDex slowly flew in front of him and said, "Hey, I have an idea! Why don't we all take a break for lunch? I'll tell Serena to make her special."

* * *

Ash, Serena, and Vernon ate their lunch quietly, while their Pokémon dined on PokéPuffs. Vernon was looking over to his partner, and as he leaned over to try to say something to it, Floattery suddenly looked over its shoulder, and tossed a PokéPuff right in Vernon's face.

"Ack! It stings!" shouted Vernon, stumbling back. The PokéPuff had been made specifically for Electric-types, so Vernon felt some sparks zapping his face before he finally cleared it out of his face. Floattery chuckled at his expense before turning back to its meal.

"Um, Vernon?" said Serena. "Is there something going on between you and Floattery?"

"Hmm? Um, nope, nope, nothing at all," reassured Vernon. "He just doesn't wanna practice my script is all." Suddenly, he felt another PokéPuff splat against the back of his head, hearing more buzz-like chuckling.

"I don't get it, what's bothering Floattery, Vernon?" Ash asked.

"Well, I guess he had this idea about updating his own character." explained Vernon, "but I didn't go for it."

"What? Why not?" Ash asked.

"It's... difficult to explain," Vernon said.

"If there's something bad between the two of you, Vernon," said Serena, "you might want to talk to Floattery about it. He is part of your act after all."

Floattery noticed that it was low on PokéPuffs after throwing most of them at Vernon, so it peered over to Charmor, happily eating next to it. It buzzed to get Charmor's attention, and then pointed at its bowl. Charmor understood and picked up a couple PokéPuffs in its mouth, preparing to drop them in Floattery's bowl.

Suddenly, a shadow loomed from above, and beforea ny of the Pokémon could acknowledge it, a black-colored blur dropped in between Floattery and Charmor, yelling, "SNEEEAAK!" All the Pokémon fell backwards, and they looked up to see a black, possum-like Pokémon with mischievous eyes and a gray belly, dangling from a branch by its pink tail. It held its chin, chuckling up a storm at its jumpscare.

The three trainers took notice of what was going on, and Ash, spying the new Pokémon wondered aloud, "Who's that Pokémon?"

RotomDex swooped in and, scanning the Pokémon, said, "Possneak, the Sneaky Pokémon, a Dark Type. Possneak's are mostly nocturnal, but are known to be incredibly mischievous, giving any trespassers in its territory a scare. Evolves into Posspooky at level 21."

Pikachu got made at lunch being interrupted, so it tried to swat the Possneak away with an Iron Tail attack. However, as Pikachu approached, the Possneak grabbed its tail and after spinning, flung poor Pikachu away.

"That was Possneak's Foul Play attack," explained RotomDex.

Possneak then charged forward surrounded by a purple aura, now using Pursuit. It knocked Pikachu back onto its tail before cackling at Pikachu's expense hysterically. Finally, Humbeat had had enough and pummeled the Possneak with a Drill Peck attack, before unleashing a Razor Wind attack, the latter injuring Possneak, who decided to finally leave them alone.

"Is everyone okay?" Serena asked, walking towards the Pokémon. The Pokémon lined up and nodded, until suddenly, a small sphere fell from the sky, heading straight for Pikachu, and Floattery suddenly took notice of this.

"PIKA!" Pikachu suddenly cried out. Everyone looked to the sky as the sphere, now presumably containing Pikachu reeled into the basket of a certain Meowth-shaped balloon.

"Team Rocket!" Ash charged forward to see the balloon better.

"Prepare for trouble, who else could it be?" said Jessie, showing herself.

"And make it double, we hope that you'll see," said James, showing himself.

"To protect the world from devastation!"

"To unite all people within our nation!"

"To denounce the evils of truth and love!"

"To extend our reach to the stars above!"

"Jessie!"

"And James!"

"Team Rocket blasts off at the speed of light!"

"Surrender now or prepare to fight!"

"Meowth, that's right!"

"Wobbuffet!"

"Mime, mime!"

"What are you guys doing here?" Ash demanded.

"What else?" said Jessie. "We're after Pikachu, of course!"

"And now that we've got it, there's no time to chat!" Meowth said.

James then tossed a small cube, which exploded into smoke, blinding everyone. Once the smoke cleared, the Meowth balloon was nowhere to be found.

"Pikachu! No!" Ash ran forward before looking down in despair. "I can't believe Pikachu's gone."

"Pika," came a voice.

"I know, Pikachu," said Ash. "I should have been able to protect you. Instead I-"

"Pika!" the voice came again. Ash suddenly looked to his side, and saw Pikachu standing right next to him, safe and sound.

"Pikachu!" Ash cried out in joy, picking his partner up in his arms. "I'm so glad you're safe."

"Wait, then who did Team Rocket take?" asked Serena.

"Uh, guys?" said Vernon, looking around frantically. "I think it was Floattery!"

"Pikachu, pika pi!" Pikachu stated, flailing its arms.

"I think Pikachu means to say that Floattery saw Team Rocket's attack coming, and leaped in the way," explained RotomDex.

"Man, we need to find Floattery!" Vernon said, panicked. "I gotta get out there and save him!"

Ash turned to Humbeat, and said, "Do you think you fly around and search for their balloon?"

Humbeat nodded, and RotomDex joined it to salute, "You can count on both of us, Ash!" before they both took to the skies.

* * *

 **Who's that Pokémon?**

 **When night falls, its pink scales begin to shine. They're popular with divers, so some resorts feed them to keep them close.**

* * *

"After all this time, Pikachu is ours!" Jessie loudly proclaimed to the heavens.

James opened the sphere to see they're prize, but the grew an unamused look on his face as he showed it to his teammates. "Um, guys, does this look like a Pikachu to you?"

Jessie and Meowth peeked inside, and were mortified to see Floattery in there instead. Unamused, Floattery shot a Thundershock attack, leaving Meowth and Jessie fried.

"I... uh..." said Jessie, trying to recover as James quickly closed the sphere again. "How... how could we miss Pikachu!?"

"Should we go back?" said James.

"No way!" said Meowth. "This Floattery might be our opportunity to get started on the bounty of Ralia region Pokémon! I'm sure the boss'll love it!"

"Hmm," said Jessie. "Very well. Tally ho, gentlemen!"

However, at that moment, RotomDex and Humbeat had caught up to them, and they spied the sphere. "There's Floattery, Humbeat!" said RotomDex. "Now how do we get it back?"

Humbeat shot forth some Razor Wind attacks, which flew right past the balloon.

"Hmm?" said James, looking out of the basket. "What was that?"

With Team Rocket distracted, Humbeat quickly flew into the basket and grabbed the sphere with Floattery in it. Meowth spotted this and angrily ranted, "Hey! Whadda you twerpish Pokémon think you're doing!?"

"We just want our friend back, please," RotomDex tried to negotiate.

"Never!" Jessie declared. Humbeat decided to launch another Razor Wind at them, but Wobbuffet jumped in front of Jessie and used Mirror Coat and reflected the attack back. Humbeat couldn't get out of the way in time, and the Razor Wind knocked Floattery's capsule out of its grasp, and it plummeted to the forest below.

Outragred, Humbeat charged into Team Rocket's balloon, popping it with its beak. The balloon then went out of control and Team Rocket screamed, "We're crashing off again!" before they crashed down below.

* * *

"Ugh," Jessie held her head as she and her team rose from the ground.

"I swear, I got a concussion on my concussion," Meowth complained. As he walked forward, though, something small and black got in his face and screeched, "SNEEEAAK!"

"ACK!" Meowth tumbled backwards. As he sat up, he yelled, "Hey, you lugs! What's the big idea!? You almost gave me a heart attack!"

"What are you talking about?" said Jessie, before the same black creature was in front of her and screeching, "SNEEEAAK!"

"WAA!" Jessie fell on her rear end, before she saw the same Possneak from before dangling from a tree branch by its tail chuckling up a storm.

"What the?" James questioned. He pulled out the deck of cards they stole from Professor Acacia's lab and found a picture of the Pokémon. "Hmm, says here its called a Possneak."

"Who cares what it is?" Jessie whined. "Just get it away from us!"

"Wait a second," James pulled out a PokéBall, and tossed it at the still-chuckling Possneak, who went into the PokéBall, which clicked shut.

* * *

"Floattery? Floattery!?" Vernon called out. The group searched under every bush and in every cranny, but found nothing.

"Ah, Floattery, please!" Vernon cried out. "I'm sorry for what I said earlier. I wasn't trying to hurt your feelings!"

"What did you say to Floattery, anyway?" Ash had to ask.

"Look, the truth is, he had an idea to change his character for my script entirely, and I... didn't listen to it."

"What? Why not?" Serena asked. "What was the idea anyway?"

"I guess Floattery wanted to join its character's backstory to mine to, erm, develop its character more."

"Well, why can't he do that?" Serena asked.

"It's just, well..." Vernon sighed, before continuing. "I guess I got so caught up in making my own character perfect, I forgot about Floattery. The truth is, I'm so worried about making my comeback, I guess I was just paranoid that my script wouldn't be good enough. Then I'm just back to square one."

Ash and Serena looked up to Vernon with reassurance. "Vernon, We all believe in you, you know," said Serena. "You have lots of talent. If you were the most famous actor in Ralia before, you can certainly do it again. You just gotta believe in yourself."

"But you need to believe in Floattery, too," said Ash. "If you won't hear it out on an idea, then it's like telling it that the idea is no good." He looked down at Pikachu and patted its head as it cooed affectionately. "You see, I gotta trust my Pokémon on the battlefield, too. In fact, that's how I always come up with my winning strategies."

"And how I come up with acts for my Showcases, Contests, and now Pageants," said Serena.

Vernon stood silent, but then slowly smiled. "You're right. I need to hear Floattery out. If we could just find it."

"Guys, guys!" RotomDex's voice came from above. Everyone turned to see RotomDex floating downward. "Humbeat's found where Floattery landed!"

"Landed?" questioned Vernon.

"I'll explain on the way," said RotomDex, preparing to take off again. "Just come on!"

* * *

The group arrived in a small area, and spied Humbeat using Wing Attack, attempting to break open Floattery's capsule, but continually failing.

"We got this, Humbeat," Ash reassured. "Pikachu, use Iron Tail!" Pikachu's tail turned metallic silver before slashing open the capsule and setting Floattery free.

"Floattery! You're safe!" Vernon said, running over to embrace his Pokémon. "Floattery, I'm so sorry. I-"

"Hold it right there!" came a voice. Everyone turned to see Team Rocket having returned.

"We already called dibs on that prize!" said Meowth.

* * *

 **It's Finneon!**

* * *

"Team Rocket!" Ash shouted. "Don't you guys ever have enough?"

"What can we say?" said Jessie. "The prize is totally worth it."

"Now, say hello to a new friend of ours," James threw a PokéBall, and out came Possneak, who initially covered its eyes with its arms before revealing itself in a spooky manner. "Sneak, Possneak!"

"Is that the same Possneak as before?" asked Serena.

"Possneak, use Pursuit!" James commanded. Possneak charged forward cloaked in purple, knocking everyone apart.

"Oomph!" Vernon said as he collided the ground, Floattery falling out of his arms.

Ash stood back up and called out, "Pikachu, use Iron Tail!"

Pikachu jumped forth, its tail glowing a metallic silver, moving towards Possneak, but James called for a Foul Play attack, and Possneak grabbed Pikachu's tail before tossing it away.

"Grr," growled Vernon as he stood back up. "That Possneak really is annoying, isn't it?" Suddenly, Floattery floated in front of him and, looking at its trainer, began making various gestures.

"If you've got an idea, Floattery, then I'm all ears," said Vernon. Floattery looked genuinely confused for a moment, and noticing this, Vernon said, "I know I was mean enough to not listen to you before, but I really do trust you. If you say you know how to stop them, then that's good enough for me."

Floattery was stunned, but then gratefully nodded its head. "Alright, so what were you thinking?"

"Don't give up, Pikachu, we can do this!" Ash insisted, as his partner got back up off the ground, more determined than ever.

"Same here, you guys!" Serena declared, holding up a PokéBall. However, Vernon and Floattery got in the way, surprising everyone.

"Say, Team Rocket, I'd that's an impressive little Possneak you got there," Vernon said.

"Hmm?" Team Rocket said simultaneously.

"Such a shame Floattery here can do all that and more. You really shouldn't have let my Floattery go, you could've gone places."

"Well, maybe we still can!" James declared. "Possneak, use Pursuit!"

Possneak charged forward again, and Vernon and Floattery shared a look and Floattery, allowed itself to take the brunt of the attack.

"Vernon, what're you doing?" Ash said. "Don't let them hit you guys!"

"Just trust me," said Vernon. "Floattery, use Wrap." Floattery went forward and launched its tentacles at Possneak.

James grinned and said, "Use Foul Play, again!" Possneak grabbed Floattery by its tentacles and prepared to throw it, but Vernon, who'd been expecting that, grinned.

"Floattery, now!" Floattery suddenly spewed two more tentacles, which came from the costume it had presented Vernon earlier, allowing it to grab Possneak and fling it away, and when Possneak landed, it had taken a great deal of damage thanks to teh power of Foul Play being used against it.

"Whoa! That was awesome!" said Ash, his eyes gleaming.

"Hey, that was foul!" insisted James. "Use Pursuit, again!" Possneak charged towards Floattery, who was floating in front of a tree.

Vernon patiently waiting for Possneak to get close enough, before yelling, "Acid Armor!" Floattery's entire body was turned into a liquid, causing Possneak to pass straight through its body and crash right into the tree.

As it landed dazed, Vernon commanded Floattery to grab it and use Thundershock. Floattery wrapped its tentacles around Possneak and gave it a huge zap, before tossing it back at Team Rocket, with it now knocked out.

"No way!" James said and he held his Pokémon. "How could this be?"

"Guess you don't trust your own partner enough," Vernon chuckled. "Use Acid!" Floattery spewed purple liquid at Team Rocket, hitting them hard enough to launch them sky-high.

"We're blasting off again!"

"Vernon, that was amazing!" Ash gushed, running over.

"You had us totally on edge the whole time!" Serena enthusiastically added.

"Actually, guys, you should give Floattery the credit," Vernon humbly said. "That whole plan was its idea. It was all about misdirection." Suddenly, his eyes lit up with an idea. "That's it! I know how to fix my character!" He turned to Floattery. "But I need your help to do it. Can you do it?"

Floattery excitedly nodded, and Vernon dramatically raised his index finger into the air. "Then let us get to work!"

* * *

Later, Ash, Serena, and Pikachu were sitting on some tree stumps, impatiently waiting for Vernon. "C'mon, what's taking so long?" Ash complained.

"I guess he wants to get his act just right," reasoned Serena.

Suddenly, RotomDex flew in front of them, and said, "Sorry to keep you guys waiting! Now introducing, the new and improved, Toxicity and the Blob!"

From behind a tree, Vernon and Floattery, wearing the dark and brooding Toxicity costume and the costume Floattery made earlier, revealed themselves in a dark and dramatic fashion.

"So you will not leave then?" stated Vernon dramatically. "You really want to help me defend this city by my side?"

Floattery buzzed in agreement. "But what could you possibly know about superheroics?" Vernon continued. "It's like we're anything alike. All I knew about being a hero, I learned from the Pokémon who saved my life all those years ago."

Floattery buzzed again. "Yes, the one who rescued me from that ugly gang of thugs- Wait, how did you know that?"

Floattery flew up to the sky and cast a strange, dark, but triumphant shadow. Vernon gasped as he "remembered" something.

"You were that Pokémon, weren't you?" he said, acting shocked. "So it was you all along who inspired my path?" Floattery nodded and came back down. Vernon closed his eyes and lowered his head. "Then it is like fate. That someday we would be reunited. In that case, I'd be honored to have you as my partner."

Floattery buzzed triumphantly, and Vernon said, "And... scene!"

Ash and Serena quickly gave some enthusiastic applause. "That was cool, Vernon!" Serena said. "I could really feel the connection between you two!"

"Yeah, you guys really do trust each other after all!" Ash added. "But how'd you come up with a twist like that?"

"It was Floattery's idea," explained Vernon. "In fact, it's inspired by a real world event, that went a little something like this..."

* * *

A few years ago, a younger Vernon was on set for filming a disaster movie. Acting, he walked along the "ruined" landscape of the set, moaning, "Alas, if all has been destroyed, do I even have anything worth fighting for anymore?" He paused, waiting for a cue, expecting the building in the background to fall, but it never did.

"Uh, something wrong?" whispered Vernon to the people backstage.

"Hang on, almost... got it," the special effects guy from backstage was tinkering with the control panel, until finally the building fell... while Vernon was right next to it.

"YAH!" Vernon screamed as the prop tumbled towards him. However, he was suddenly saved by a purple blur pushing him out of the way. He opened his eyes to see a Floattery floating right on top of him.

"What is that Pokémon doing here?" came a voice from a cameraman. "Security!"

"No, wait!" called out the voice of the director. "What that Pokémon just did! It was, it was even even better than what I had envisioned! It's perfect! We must adjust the script! In fact, we must rework the script! I-I have so many new ideas!"

Vernon slowly sat up and looked in awe at Floattery, currently bathed in light from a stagelight, giving off a triumphant shadow. "Th-thank you, you really saved me back there."

Floattery buzzed a "You're welcome" to him. As Vernon stood up, he said, "In fact, you saved this entire scene. I didn't want to say anything, but what was supposed to happen was too dark for me. But the director, I think he likes you. In fact, maybe he want to have you in the film." Floattery hummed curiously, but then rose up higher in joy.

* * *

"Afterwards, the director convinced Floattery to be part of the movie, and the two of us had a blast together," the Vernon in the present explained. "Once the movie was all said and done, I approached Floattery with a PokéBall, and he was happy to be my acting partner!" Floattery buzzed with glee.

"I'm glad," said Ash. "It means you guys do trust each other with your own careers! And that's exactly why you make such a great team!"

Vernon and Floattery looked at each other. "Ash is right," said Vernon. "I'm sorry for now listening to you before, Floattery, but from now on, this comeback won't be just for me, it'll be for both of us. 'Cause we're a team, and there's now way I'd wanna do it without you."

"Floattery, float, float!" Floattery cheered.

 _It seems as though Vernon has recognized that the best inspiration can come from the close friends in your life. Hopefully now, this will make his comeback even more triumphant! More to come, as the journey continues!_

 **TO BE CONTINUED...**


	14. Campy Memories!

_Night has fallen on our heroes as they continue their trip for Violetrose Town, so they decided to camp for the night._

Braixen was using its staff to light up the fire as it grew dull, and Ash, Serena, and Vernon were roasting a bunch of marshmallows over the fire.

Ash stuck his now-cooked marshmallow onto some graham crackers and some chocolate, and bite down into its warm, gooey goodness. "Aw, man! I can't remember the last time I had a good s'more!"

"Pika!" Pikachu agreed as it wolfed down a s'more of its own.

"You know, I remember my first s'more, my first campfire actually," said Vernon. "I was about six or seven years old, my dad took my family on our very first camping trip. We set up our tent next to a _beautiful_ lake where Pokémon would frolic and play. I remember that later that night, we cooked some gooey, hot s'mores around a campfire, but after our parents fell asleep, my brother and I would try to spook each other with scary stories. My brother told me about a mutant Pokémon creature, and I decided to go find it. But all I found was an Ursaring, and let's just say it was _not_ in the mood for company. Oh, man, I ran back to the campsite terrified, the Ursaring's roar could be heard for miles."

"Whoa, really?" Serena said. "How'd you even survive?"

"Oh, it was something you had to see to believe," explained Vernon. "My brother actually saw us coming, so he climbed on top of a tree, took out a flashlight, then cast such a scary looking shadow. He looked like Darkrai had descended on us, and that Ursaring ran off with its tail tucked between its legs. I mean, I almost did too for that matter. That night, I woke up screaming 'cause I dreamed about that shadowy figure my brother showed me."

"That's quite a story," said Ash.

"Indeed," said RotomDex, flying up.

"What about you, Serena?" Vernon decided to ask. "Do you still remember your first s'more? Your first campfire?"

Serena briefly paused. "Well, yeah. I remember it was... actually all the way back in Kanto, at Professor Oak's Pokémon Camp."

"Oh, yeah!" Ash said, swallowing his second s'more. "I remember, we both actually had our own first campfire there together!"

"Oh, yeah, that's right!" said RotomDex. "The two of you first met at that camp, didn't you?"

"It's true, we did," Serena explained. "Of course, ol' Ash probably doesn't remember it too well anymore."

"Hey, hey, that is not true!" Ash defended himself. "Yeah, after a long time, I did forget meeting you, but once you returned that handkerchief, it all came rushing back."

"Oh, really?" said Serena, turning her attention to her old friend.

"Yeah, and I can't believe I somehow forgot someone like you," continued Ash. "I mean, we were like best friends there together."

Serena paused, and slowly blushed, yet tried to hide it. "I'm glad you do remember. You were my _only_ friend at that camp. I was so worked up the whole time, but thanks to you, I actually came to have a blast."

"Hang on, I'm lost," Vernon interrupted. "What exactly happened at that camp? I just told you guys a story. Why don't guys tell us one now?"

"Okay," Ash started. "I remember that I was about five or six when it happened. You see, in Pallet Town, I was always stuck cooped up in the house all the time. I wanted to get out, you know, actually do something. So one day, I was shopping with my mom, and then I saw a flyer for Professor Oak's Pokémon camp. I read it and I was, like, so psyched to see it! I talked my mom into letting me try it, and I just couldn't wait to get started!"

"As for me," Serena began, "well, the thing is, when I was young, I was scared of pretty much everything. That's why I never went far from home. But my mother, who was a famous Rhyhorn racer, she had actually come to stay in Kanto for a whole year, because Rhyhorn racing season was going to take place in Kanto all year long. I was a nervous wreck, stuck in such strange surroundings. But of course, my mother wanted to give me some kind of intervention, so she spied a flyer for the camp herself, and somehow tricked me into going.

"Anyway, that was when camp officially started, and that's when I met Ash."

* * *

A flashback takes us back in time by a few years, and we see a bus arriving at the camp. Several excited children poured out the door once the bus was parked, and at the very front of the pack was a younger Ash Ketchum.

"Alright! We're finally here!" the young Ash cried out as he excited pumped his fists in the air. "Oh, man, there's so much to do! Pokémon to see, food to eat, hikes to take-"

"Slow down there, young man," came a familiar voice. "How about we start by getting to know one another first?"

Ash looked to his right and saw his mother's old friend, Professor Samuel Oak, greeting him with a friendly smile.

"Professor Oak! It's so good to see you again!" Ash ran up to give the old man a hug, which Oak kindly reciprocated.

"You too, Ash," said Oak as he let the young boy go. "It's good to see you getting out here for some fresh air for once." He turned his attention towards the crowd of children. Counting them all with his finger, he gained a confused look on his face. "That's strange. We're supposed to have twenty-four campers here, but I only count twenty-three."

"Oh, there's one more girl still on the bus," said the bus driver, peeking out from the bus's door. "I'm trying to coax her into coming out., but she's still too nervous."

"Oh, really?" said Oak. "Well, in that case, let me talk to her."

* * *

In the back of the bus, there sat a young Serena, just sitting in the corner of her seat, reluctant to come off. As the bus went through the woods, she spotted several different Pokémon. Some seemed harmless enough, like a couple of Butterfrees, but others, like a swarm of Beedrills and some Arcanines charged through the forest, left her feeling apprehensive. She was reluctant to leave the bus because she was afraid of what might be out there.

"Excuse me, little miss?" came a voice. Serena looked up to see an old man she recognized as Professor Oak from the flyer to this place. "Is there any reason you don't want to come off the bus?"

"Oh, erm, sorry about that," Serena said softly. "It's just, I saw a lot of scary Pokémon when we came in, and I guess I'm just a little nervous about what's waiting for us out there."

"Hmm, I see," said Oak, nodding. "But I can assure you there's nothing to be afraid of. I have the best Trainers in the world out here, and they promise me that they know how to protect this camp from any potentially unruly Pokémon."

"Are you sure?" said Serena.

"I'm positive," said Oak, reaching his hand out. "As long as you don't go wandering off or anything, you'll be quite alright, Miss..."

"Serena," said Serena, tentatively taking Oak's hand. "My name is... Serena."

"Ah, what a beautiful name," Oak complimented as he helped her stand. "Now then, shall we go now? Everyone's waiting for us."

* * *

Exiting the bus, Oak and Serena noticed the other campers staring. "It's okay, everyone, Serena's doing just fine."

"Well, if she's done being a baby," one of the boys in the crowd said.

"Hey! Young man, you will not antagonize your fellow camper, do you understand?" Oak called out, silencing the boy.

Oak then went to the front of the crowd and officially welcomed, "Welcome one and all to my Pokémon Camp. Over the next two weeks, we'll have lots of fun learning about Pokémon, learning about Pokémon training, and about the world that these Pokémon live in. Now then, you all have your cabin numbers. Why don't you all get settled in, and then we'll all get to know each other?"

The campers all nodded and separated to go find their cabins. As he left, though, Ash caught a glimpse of Serena walking away. He wondered to himself why she'd be so nervous to come here. He himself was ecstatic to see some Pokémon up close and personal, so he thought about what was going through this girl's mind at the moment.

* * *

Serena finished putting away all her clothes for her stay, and then made herself comfy on her bed. Looking up to the ceiling, she thought about why her mother could have possibly sent her here. Did she want her to gain some new perspective? Did she want her daughter to escape the stress of the Rhyhorn racing world? Was it just to get her to get over her fears of the outside world?

She shrugged as she noted that the two girls she was to share this cabin with finished unpacking as well. One of them then excitedly said to the other, "What're we waiting for? Let's go check this place out!"

The two girls ran out of the cabin, and Serena felt actually pretty envious of them. They weren't afraid. In fact, they seemed to have it all figured out. She only wished that she knew what that was like. Sighing, she rose from her own bed and went out the door to go find Oak for today's introduction.

As she left, she felt something suddenly fall down on her face. It felt all soft and sticky, and Serena began to panic. "Ack! Gross! Get it off! Get it off!" Finally, she grabbed the thing with her hands and pried it off, but when she opened her eyes, she saw the thing land on the ground, and that it was only a mere Caterpie, which straightened itself out before slithering away.

"Ha! Look at this girl!" Serena turned her head to see two boys walking up to her. "Were you seriously that afraid of an itty-bitty Caterpie?"

"It, it just surprised me that's all," Serena said embarrassed.

"Hah! What a baby! She's too scared to get off a bus, and now I bet she won't even leave her cabin!" said one of the boys, before they both burst into laughter. As they walked away, one of them said, "Maybe someone better call mommy! She won't last even a day!"

As they left, Serena stood in silence, but felt tears welling up in her eyes. As waterworks flowed, she thought, " _They're right! They're jerks, but they're right! I don't belong here! I-I-I wanna go home! I should just go home!_ " She quickly turned towards the road they came in on and ran.

* * *

All the other campers were gathered at the center of camp, as Oak was about to introduce all the campers to each other. However, as he counted everyone, he found himself coming up short one camper yet again.

"We're missing a camper again, everyone," he said to the children. "Has anyone seen Serena anywhere?"

"Oh, are you talking about that crybaby girl?" said one of the boys who'd been tormenting Serena before. "She's probably crying into her pillow right now."

"Hold it!" Oak said marching up to the boys. "Did you boys say anything mean to Serena?"

"So what if we did?"

"Because I will not tolerate behavior like this, and also, you seem to have driven her off!" Oak began looking around the campsite. "Serena? Serena, are you here?"

Ash was sitting on a nearby stump, but he found himself glaring in the boys' direction. It wasn't cool for them to make fun of Serena like that. The poor girl was still getting used to everything. He felt sad for Serena, because he could tell that she was scared out here. She needed some help. No, what she needed was a friend.

"Kids, why don't we all go back to our cabins for now?" suggested Oak. "I need to find Serena, fast!"

All the kids reluctantly rose from where they sat and headed back to their cabins. Ash felt worry creeping up on him about that girl Oak was looking for, but this was momentarily forgotten, when he spied a small, blue blob emerge from a nearby bush. Looking over to it, he identified it as a Poliwag, something he'd seen on TV before.

"No way! A Pokémon!" he couldn't help but shout excitedly. He ran up to the small Pokémon, but once the Poliwag saw him, it got startled and ran off into the woods.

"Hey, where ya going?" Ash called out after it, before running after it.

* * *

 **Who's that Pokémon?**

 **It has the superior ability to look for honey. It can carry honey back to its nest from flowers over six miles away.**

* * *

"Hello, anyone?" Serena rushed through the woods around the camp, looking for anyone who might take her home. However, as she continued to run, it became clear to her that she was lost. She quickly regretted trying to run away. Now, she just wanted to be safe. A Butterfree flew out from above her, and she ducked in fear, but quickly felt embarrassed when she saw what it was. She slowed her pace to a walk, looking around, and she called out, "Where did you all go?" All of a sudden, a nearby bush began to rustle. Panicking, she turned to run again, but tripped and fell on the ground, covering herself in dirt and scraping her knee. She looked back at the bush in apprehensive horror, but out of it came only a tiny Poliwag, which jumped out in front of her, glanced at her for a brief second, before hopping away.

Tears welling up in her eyes again, she said quietly to herself, "I knew I didn't want to come to camp. I'm so scared!" Suddenly, she screamed up towards the sky, "MOMMY!"

Suddenly, she heard the bushes rustle again, and she braced herself in apprehension for what she hoped would be another Poliwag, Instead, out came a young, black-haired boy about her age, looking around. "Poliwag?" he called out, but suddenly he spied Serena on the ground, and remembered that Oak was looking for a girl earlier, and realized that he had just found her.

Walking up to her, he tried to put on his friendliest face, and he said, "What are you doing out here?" He paused as he noticed the troubled look in the girl's eye, then pointed to himself with a grin and said, "My name's Ash! What's wrong? Are you hurt?"

Serena slowly calmed herself and looked down at her knee, and explained, "I hurt... my knee."

Ash knelt down to her current height, and said, "Oh, no." He reached into his pocket and pulled out a small handkerchief that was blue and had PokéBall emblems popping up on the corners. Carefully, he wrapped it around the scrape on Serena's knee, and gently pulled it tight. "There!" Looking at Serena, he added. "Look! It's magic! Now all the pain will go away!" He moved his hands around her knee as if to say, "Abra Cadabra!" but Serena winced.

"But it still hurts!" she complained. However, Ash rose from the ground and offered her a hand.

"Don't give up until it's over!" he encouraged. Tentatively, Serena took his hand and allowed Ash to pull her up off the ground. Once she did, she accidentally felt herself falling forward and she and Ash found themselves in a hug-like position. Awkwardly, Serena pulled herself back, but Ash didn't seem to mind too much.

"There, you see?" Ash said, before chuckling to himself. He pointed back towards the camp and said, "Why don't we head back to the campsite? C'mon, let's go!"

Ash carefully led Serena back the way he came in. He didn't notice, but Serena was staring at him in surprise. She didn't understand why this boy was being so nice to her. Or why he was feeling so confident. Still, she trusted him to take her back to the campsite.

* * *

Some time later, Ash and Serena finally saw the camp again. "Aha! There it is! We're back!" Ash grinned at Serena, who chose not to react to this. The two then made the center of the camp, where Professor Oak had wanted everyone to meet before. Soon enough, they saw Oak, who was nervously checking behind the buildings until he saw the two children come in.

"Oh, Serena! There you are!" he said relieved, running up to the children. "I'm so glad to see you're safe! What happened? Where'd you run off to?"

"I'm sorry," Serena looked at the ground, ashamed. "It's just, these boys were teasing me earlier, so I got upset and ran into the woods."

Oak nodded. "I see. Well, Serena, if something like that happens to you, I want you to just come to me and I'll straighten the whole thing out. You should never run away, understand? I was so worried something could have happened to you."

"I'm sorry, I-I won't do it again," said Serena. "I'll stay the full two weeks."

Oak nodded again in relief. "Good. Now then, Ash, Serena, why don't you two find a nice place to sit? I'll call the other campers and let them know our introduction is back on schedule."

As Oak walked away, Serena finally looked up from the ground, but saw Ash smiling at her. "So your name is Serena, huh? Why don't you tell me about yourself?"

"Well, I, um, I've come all the way from the Kalos region-"

"Kalos region? Where's that? Can I go visit sometime?" Ash asked.

"Um, probably not," said Serena. "There's kind of an ocean in the way. And, I guess, I'm the daughter of a famous Rhyhorn racer, Grace."

"Really? That's so cool!" Ash gushed. "I bet she must have the thrill of a lifetime up there on a Rhyhorn! Seeing the land zip past her, the wind in her hair!"

Serena saw Ash getting all excited, and for the first time since she got on that bus, she smiled. In fact, she chuckled. "Yeah, I guess so," she continued. "I sure wish I could do something like that."

"Whadda you mean?" Ash asked, perplexed.

"Well, the truth is, I never even wanted to go to camp," explained Serena. "It's just, I guess I grew up pretty sheltered, so the outside world just makes me so nervous."

"Really?" Ash said. "'Cause I think it's incredible! I mean there's so many cool Pokémon, so many neat and different people, and so much yummy, delicious food!"

Serena smiled, but only for a moment. "Yeah, I wish I could think like you."

"Well, why don't you?" Ash said, causing Serena to look at him in confusion. "Maybe the world isn't as scary as it seems. Maybe you just need to open up to it a bit more."

Serena looked at the ground again, but then the two noticed that the other campers were arriving. "I guess we should take our seats, huh?" she said.

"Yeah," said Ash, before he grabbed Serena's arm. "Hey, why don't you sit with me?"

* * *

"Okay, everyone, now that we're all here, why don't you each tell everyone a bit about yourself?" said Oak as everyone gathered in a circle. Everyone started going one by one introducing themselves, explaining about themselves and why they came to camp. As Serena spotted this, she felt more and more nervous as the circle began to reach her.

Eventually, the circle reached Ash, who was sitting to Serena's right, and he proudly rose from his stump chair and announced, "I'm Ash Ketchum! I come all the way from Pallet Town. I just came out here because I wanted to see all the neat and cool Pokémon that live out here! And I hope to become a Pokémon trainer myself someday!"

"Very good, Ash," said Oak before he saw Serena. "How about you, Serena?"

"Oh, uh, me?" Serena suddenly froze. "What are you guys- wha-" Everyone began staring at her like she was weird, and her face was heating up.

"Her-her name is Serena!" Ash suddenly interjected, causing everyone, including Serena, to look at him in surprise. "She came all the way from the Kalos region, and her mom's a famous Rhyhorn racer!"

"Whoa, a Rhyhorn racer?" said a girl that Serena recognized from her cabin. "Are talking about Grace?" Serena looked up and nodded. "Ooh! She's such a good racer! I wanted to be Rhyhorn racer too! What about you? Do you get to race Rhyhorns too?"

"Well, um, sometimes, my mom lets me ride her Rhyhorn just around the block," Serena explained.

"Cool!" said the girl. "You've gotta teach me how to do that!"

"She was even exploring the forest earlier!" Ash boasted. "She got to see so many cool Pokémon, like Butterfree and Poliwag!"

"Whoa!" said another kid. "You went exploring in those woods? All by yourself? Man, I wish I was brave enough to do that!"

"Well, I wasn't exactly brave..." Serena said.

"No, but you were courageous!" said Ash, earning a confused look from Serena. "You thought it was scary but you decided to press on anyway. You never stopped going, and that's pretty cool to me!"

Serena slowly began to smile, as Professor Oak said, "Alright, that's great, kids. Let's continue, shall we?"

As the next kid introduced himself, Serena whispered to Ash, "Thanks for that, Ash. I guess I froze up there, huh?"

"No problem!" said Ash. "After all, that's what friends are for, right?"

"Friends?"

"Sure, we're friends now, right?" said Ash, grinning widely.

Serena couldn't tell what it was, but something about this boy told her that, for once, everything was going to be alright.

Smiling brighter than she ever had that day, she said, "Yeah, we're friends!"

* * *

 **It's Butterfree!**

* * *

 _"That was how I knew I finally made a friend at camp,"_ Serena said in a voiceover. _"I guess I really do owe it Ash for getting me to finally open up and stop being so scared all the time, and before I knew it, I was finally enjoying myself at camp!"_

A montage of scenes is seen over the two weeks at camp. We see one scene where children are being introduced to trained Pokémon, including a Pikachu. Ash excitedly walked up to, but touched its cheeks, and received the shock of a lifetime. Though he fell down, he quickly stood back up and was soon gushing at its incredible power, and wishing he had one of his own. Another scene shows us the children getting into a water balloon fight. Ash has nailed several other camper with water balloons, until suddenly he felt something wet splat against him, and he turned to see a chuckling Serena holding a water balloon. He grinned and playfully chased after her.

The final scene showed everyone doing an arts and crafts project. Serena was at a loss for what she would do, but then she was able to talk to the other girls in her cabin. She'd managed to make friends with them after that introduction circle, and she thought they were nice enough people. They suggested that she make something that expresses herself, so she came up with an idea to make herself a costume for herself, and when she presented it to everybody, it looked dull at first, before reversed it into vibrant colors, and made some mini-fireworks go off in the background. Everyone loved it, and Serena loved the joy she seemed to bring to everyone.

Eventually, the last day of camp came, and Oak gathered everyone into the center of camp. "Okay, everyone! You'll be heading home later today, so I thought we'd commemorate our last day with a nature hike. Just really get to know this place before we have to say goodbye to it."

"Aw, man!" Ash groaned. "It's over already? But there's so much to do still!"

"It's okay, Ash," said Serena. "It was short, but it was definitely sweet!"

* * *

Oak led all the kids along a path along a mountainside. All the children began pointing excitedly every time a Pokémon, like a Jigglypuff or a Pidgeotto went past.

"Isn't this fun, Serena?" Ash said enthusiastically. "Finally, up close and personal!"

"Yep," said Serena. If she was being perfectly honest, she was still a little apprehensive about being out here, but she had decided to put on a brave face today.

Suddenly, Ash spied something stirring in the bushes. He looked over and was ecstatic to see a small Pichu crawl out. "Whoa, cool! What is that little guy? He looks just like a little version of Pikachu." Ash quickly managed to sneak away from the group, which was easy since he was at the back, and no one was watching him.

Except Serena. "Ash! Wait up! Hold on!" She quickly ran after him.

* * *

"Man, where'd you go?" Ash pondered as he made it into the forest, unable to locate Pichu. However, looking around, he spied the small Pokémon again, attempting to eat a cherry.

"Hey, there, little guy!" Ash greeted, walking up to the Pichu. "My name's Ash! What's yours?" However, when Pichu saw Ash coming, it quickly emitted a Thundershock attack that made Ash briefly fall down. It chuckled to itself before running away.

"Hey, get back here!" Ash chased after it. Pichu looked back to look at him, but suddenly, the ground beneath them disappeared. They had wandered over the side of a hidden cliff, and they fell down to the bottom of the pit.

* * *

"Ash? Ash, where are you?" Serena cried out, looking for her friend. She was wandering the forest, but Ash didn't seem to be anywhere. Suddenly, she heard something rustle behind her, and she turned in terror to witness a charging Tauros. Screaming, she charged ahead, ducking between the trees until eventually the Tauros lost sight of her.

"Phew, that was close," Serena muttered to herself. Suddenly, she heard groaning, and saw a cliffside. Peering over, she was shocked to see Ash and an unconscious Pichu at the bottom.

"Ash! Are you okay?" she called down.

Ash looked up and gave a weak grin. "Yeah, this little guy and I just weren't watching where we were walking."

"It's okay, Ash," said Serena. "I'm gonna get you out, okay?" Peeking around, she saw a dying tree nearby. It was already leaning over the pit, so Serena attempted to push it down so Ash could use it to climb out. However, it was too tough, and it wouldn't budge. Serena felt down, but then she heard the cries of the Tauros coming in.

"I-Is that a Tauros?" said Ash, suddenly sounding a bit worried. "L-look, Serena, don't worry about me right now, okay? You gotta stay clear of that Tauros! Professor Oak said that they're really dangerous!"

"No way, I won't leave you, Ash!" Serena declared. Ash tried to interject, but Serena suddenly called down, "Don't give up till it's over, right?"

Ash sat at the bottom of the pit feeling a bit scared for Serena, but his friend suddenly had an idea. "Ash, just wait! I know just what to do!"

Serena walked away from the pit and spied the Tauros, and began calling out to it, "Hey, over here, ugly!" This caught the Tauros's attention, and it charged again. Serena quickly ran, but led the Tauros back to the pit, and led it straight into the dying tree. It crashed into it, and as it fell dazed, the tree fell into the chasm, right next to where Ash lay.

"Quick, Ash! Use the tree to climb out!" called down Serena.

"Okay!" Ash said before he grabbed the tree. Suddenly, he heard a groan coming from the Pichu, and he looked over to where it lay. Feeling bad for it, he picked it up in his arms and climbed the tree with it, as it slowly began to regain consciousness. As Ash reached the top, he reunited with a relieved Serena. "Thanks for the help. I don't know what would have happened if it wasn't for you."

"No worries, Ash!" Serena brightly smiled. "No way could I ever leave you behind!" Honestly, at the start of the week, she'd never have tried something as crazy as this, but now, she felt so fearless for once, and she loved it!

Suddenly, the Tauros stood up, and looked at the kids angrily. At this time, the Pichu was finally waking up, and looked in terror at the Tauros charging its way.

"RUN!" Serena called out, and the Tauros ran right between them, causing Ash to drop Pichu. The two kids ran away, but Ash suddenly noticed that the Pichu was no longer in his hands. Looking back, he saw the terrified Pokémon on the ground, and without hesitation, ran back to pick it up before running away again. Eventually, they got far enough ahead of the Tauros that the angry Pokémon lost interest and walked away.

* * *

"Phew," said Serena, wiping the sweat off of her forehead. "Now that was close!"

Ash looked down at the Pichu in his arms, who looked up at him shocked. "I'm glad you're safe, little guy. Sorry I got you in trouble. Here." Ash set the Pokémon down on the ground. "You're safe now, don't worry!"

Suddenly, the two children saw Oak and the others walk past, and Ash said to the Pichu, "Well, we gotta go now, bye-bye!" He and Serena walked away waving at it, and the Pichu suddenly gained a small grin. It walked away into the woods satisfied, but then felt a strange power manifesting in its belly, before it noticed its body begin to glow.

* * *

"Ah, now wasn't that relaxing?" Oak said as he led the campers back into camp. Ash and Serena had managed to sneak back into the group without Oak ever realizing that they were gone. Oak then noticed the bus come. "Ah, and there's the bus. Well, parting is such sweet sorrow, by your families are waiting. Time to go home."

* * *

As the kids made it to the bus stop, Ash and Serena exited the bus and saw their respective mothers waving to them. "Well, Serena, I guess this is it," Ash said, somewhat disappointedly.

"Hm, yeah, I guess so," Serena said, suddenly looking down. But suddenly, she was pulled into a strong hug by Ash.

"Serena, I'm really glad we met each other. I can't thank you enough for rescuing me from that pit. You're a really good friend."

As they broke the hug, Serena felt a smile creep up on her face, and she said warmly, "You're a really great friend, too, Ash. I'm glad I made friends with you." Pausing, she said, "Ash, do you think we can meet again someday?"

Ash grinned and said, "You bet. In fact, I promise you we will!" Serena beamed brightly before her mother honking her horn got her attention.

"Well, so long, Ash," she said.

"You too, Serena," said Ash as he went over to Delia. "Until we meet again."

As Serena walked to her mom's car, she suddenly realized that she was still wearing Ash's handkerchief on her knee. She looked back but saw that Ash and his mother had left already.

As she pulled herself into the car, her mother Grace began to drive away, and Grace asked her daughter, "So what did you think? Is it everything you thought it would be?"

"No..." said Serena, looking out the window. "It was even better."

* * *

Back in the present, Ash and Serena finished their story. "I wanted to go back again the next year," explained Serena, "but unfortunately my mom said she couldn't just make a trip to Kanto every year. So, sadly, I didn't get to go anymore."

"It's too bad," said Ash. "It would have been awesome to see each other again before Kalos, wouldn't it?" Suddenly, he noticed Pikachu staring off into space for some reason. "Hey, Pikachu, what's up?"

Pikachu snapped out of its train of thought before looking at its Trainer. Everything Ash had said about that Pichu, could it be...?

"And yet, after so many years, you two still meet up again," Vernon said. "It's almost like it was fate."

"Yeah, almost," said Serena.

"I'm glad that we got to be friends back then, Serena," said Ash. "You had to be the first real friend I ever made."

Serena slowly blushed, and said, "Well, you were my first real friend, too, Ash. After all, if it wasn't for you, I never would have learned to loosen up, have fun, and explore. I'm glad I got to discover all that with you." Looking up at the sky, she said, "Well, it's getting late. Maybe now's a good time to hit the hay."

Everyone gathered themselves into their sleeping bags, and as Serena tried to go to sleep, she saw Braixen standing over her.

"Braixen, brai," it said.

Serena understood what it meant. "I know what you're thinking. But he was right. We're always stuck going separate ways. Some dreams are just meant to fly away."

Meanwhile, Ash was trying to sleep, but Pikachu suddenly stood in front of his face. "Pika, pika," it said solemnly.

"Pikachu, I already said why," Ash said. "No matter where we go, we're always gonna end up apart. I wish we could, but we just can't."

Both Trainers closed their eyes and went to sleep, and their Pokémon looked sad for them.

 _It just goes to show that friends can be made when you least expect it! And no matter how far apart friends may be, they always carry the memory of each other in their hearts! More to come, as the journey continues!_

 **TO BE CONTINUED...**

* * *

 **So, I have some bad news. I'll be starting a new job soon, so I unfortunately won't be able to post chapters as often anymore. Yep, my month-long hiatuses may become even longer. But just stay with me, and I promise, I'll try to post a new chapter at least once a month, and I'll make time for you guys. Until then, best wishes!**


	15. Metamorphosis

_Our heroes are nearly at Violetrose Town, surely a step up from spending the nights in the woods, at least._

"How much longer?" Ash groaned after his feet started to hurt.

"If we continue at this pace, we should reach Violetrose Town by morning," RotomDex explained, pulling his map up on his screen.

"So, what are we gonna do once we get there?" Vernon asked.

"Actually, I've been looking over some news articles," said RotomDex, pulling up said articles, "and according to this one, a new Pokémon Pageant is taking place in Violetrose Town!"

"Wait, really?" said Serena, looking over at RotomDex. "That's great! Now I can finally make my own debut!"

"You should have time to prepare once we get there," said RotomDex.

Suddenly, everyone heard a stomach growl. Without even thinking, they all instinctively turned to face Ash, who was clutching his stomach. "Sorry, I guess I'm a little hungry?"

"When aren't you hungry?" Vernon rolled his eyes.

"Well, that's okay," said Serena. "We can take a break for lunch now if you want!"

* * *

"Have you boys turned up anything yet!?" Jessie demanded, as she and her team looked around the forest.

"Uhm, nope, nothing to see here," said Meowth, exhaustedly checking under a rock.

"Do you really need us to find you a new Pokémon for your next Pageant?" said James. "You already did so well with Wobbuffet and Napiat."

"I cannot allow an act to become stale!" Jessie retorted. "Besides, the more Ralia-based Pokémon we find, the better for the boss, right?"

"Well, I don't think we'll find anything interesting around here," said James.

* * *

"C'mon out, guys!" said Ash, as he, Serena, and Vernon threw their PokéBalls into the air. The PokéBalls erupted into white light, and that light formed their Pokémon.

"Okay, everyone, just give me a little while, and I'll have lunch ready!" Serena said, smiling as she walked towards her food stash. On her way, she noticed Braixen and Chrysaluxe sitting nearby. "Oh, yeah! Guess what, you two?" she said, leaning down to look them in the eyes. "There's going to be a Pokémon Pageant in Violetrose Town. We should think about our act!"

Braixen cheeres, "Braixen, brai," excitedly, but Chrysaluxe sat silent. Serena noticed this and petted its head.

"You don't have to be afraid, okay?" she said. "We'll be right there for you, and we believe in you!"

She then resumed walking towards the food, as she prepared to make meals out of it, and Chrysaluxe remained silent. Suddenly, it hopped away towards a nearby tree. Braixen quickly, noticed this, and walked after it, while in the background, Charmor also saw this, and followed in concern.

* * *

Jessie was practically dragging James and Meowth along as they struggled to find a new Pokémon to capture, but they could find nothing that could get the attention of the people at the Pageant, or of Giovanni.

"Ugh, why is this so difficult!?" said Jessie, her hands balling up into fists.

"Well, I guess we now understand that whole, 'catch 'em all' dilemma," said Meowth.

Suddenly, James spied something. "Hey, guys, look over there," he pointed. Jessie and Meowth followed his finger to see Chrysaluxe sitting underneath a tree, completely motionless.

"Oh, yeah, what's that thing called again?" said Jessie.

James looked through the cards they'd stolen from the Professor's lab, and found one with this Pokémon's picture on it. "It says it's called a Chrysaluxe. Hmm, and according to this, it has two evolved forms."

"Really? What kind of evolved forms?" Jessie demanded.

"Um, looks like it evolves into a Solarfly if male, or a Lunoth if female," James explained, holding out two more cards. The card of Solarfly showed a butterfly-like Pokémon that was white with long wings that resembled the sun, being orange until they ended in multiple bright red tips. Lunoth had a black body, with bright white wings, which were rounded and both resembled a crescent moon.

"OOH!" said Jessie excitedly. "Those Pokémon are almost as beautiful as myself! That's it! We must capture that Chysaluxe and evolve it into a beautiful beauty!"

* * *

"Okay! Lunch is ready!" Serena announced as she set some plates of food out on a picnic table. Everyone in the group ran forward to chow down, but then Serena noticed that a few faces were missing from the crowd. "Hey, where's Braixen? And Chrysaluxe?"

Ash paused as he tried eating a sandwich. "Yeah, and Charmor?"

* * *

"So it's settled then?" said Jessie. "That Chrysaluxe will soon be ours!"

"Hold it!" shouted Meowth. "Twerps at twelve o'clock!"

* * *

The group had managed to find their missing Pokémon rather quickly. Chrysaluxe was sitting motionless under a tree, and both Braixen and Charmor were looking over it concerned.

"Hey, guys, what's going on over here?" said Vernon. Braixen looked over to the others and pointed at Chrysaluxe.

"Chysaluxe, what're you doing out here?" said Serena, kneeling down to her Pokémon's height. However, though Chrysaluxe looked up to her, it still wouldn't move. Then, it suddenly glowed white, nearly blinding everyone around it, before going back to normal.

"Oh, I think I know what's going on!" RotomDex said, flying forward. "I think Chrysaluxe is getting ready to evolve!"

"Evolve?" said Serena.

"Yes!" said RotomDex, pulling up data on Chysaluxe. "According to all my data, when a Chrysaluxe is preparing to evolve, it hunkers down in a dry, grassy place, and then it is unable to move as its shell becomes more and more brittle. So it won't move again until it evolves."

"Whoa!" said Serena looking back at Chrysaluxe. "You're going to evolve? That's so exciting! I can't wait to see it!

Suddenly, Charmor couldn't help but hear something in the bushes nearby, and decided to walk over to investigate. What it saw shocked it. Suddenly, an explosion occurred, and the people surrounding Chrysaluxe were blinded by the smoke.

* * *

 **Who's that Pokémon?**

 **It can discern the physical and emotional states of people, Pokémon, and other things from the shape of their aura waves.**

* * *

"What was that?!" Serena cried, as she struggled to get dust out of her eyes. Eventually, the dust settled, and when they opened their eyes, Chrysaluxe was mysteriously missing.

"What!? No! Chrysaluxe!" Serena wandered around and called out. "C'mon, where'd you go!?"

A few feet away, Charmor was looking at an enormous Pokémon. It was eight feet tall, and brown fur all over its body, a pig-like face, minus the snout, and long, hairy arms with human-like hands. It looked at Charmor with a completely stoic expression, and Charmor, not sensing anything wrong, decided to inch closer. However, the Pokémon then suddenly turned away, and Charmor attempted to follow it. But then, it heard mischievous laughter coming from the bushes nearby, and decided to wander off and investigate.

The others in the group then noticed the stirring in the bushes. "Chrysaluxe? Is that you?" Serena called out. "C'mon, guys, let's have a look."

* * *

"Hah!" said Jessie as she charged forward holding Team Rocket's newest prize, Chrysaluxe in her hands. "We sure got the jump on those twerps! Now Madame Jocelyn's newest ace can finally shine!"

"Weird," said Meowth, attempting to keep up. "This little doesn't like to fight as much as the others."

"Well then, it's perfect for reprogramming to Team Rocket standards!" Jessie gloated as she looked at Chrysaluxe. "Isn't that right, my little friend?"

Suddenly, Chrysaluxe began to glow white, nearly blinding everyone, before settling back down.

"What was that?" Jessie asked.

"I think it's getting ready to evolve soon," James explained.

"Perfect! Then I can get started with her right away!"

Charmor had finally caught up to the group, and gasped when it saw its friend, Chrysaluxe, in Jessie's arms. It knew it had to do something, but what?

Suddenly, its question was answered when Chrysaluxe began to glow brightly one more time. "Ugh," said Meowth as he put a paw in front of his face. "Can't they evolve without the glowing?"

Seeing its opportunity, Charmor spun forward with Flame Wheel, and managed to knock Jessie, James, and Meowth off their feet, sending Chrysaluxe flying into the air and onto Charmor's back. Quickly, Charmor ran off into the woods, but not before Team Rocket saw it first.

"That twerpish little Pokémon!" Jessie said with her fists clenched. "Who does it think it is?" The three then chased after Charmor, and caught up in record speed.

Charmor saw them sneaking up behind them, and and froze in shock.

"We'll teach you some manners!" Jessie insisted as she and James readied their PokéBalls. However, they all suddenly heard a loud growl, and Team Rocket heard a loud _thump_ behind them. Tentatively, the three turned around to see the eight-foot Pokémon from earlier standing right behind them, looking very angry.

"Oh, h-hey, it's a local," Meowth said anxiously, sweating and rubbing the back of his neck. "We apologize, we were just on a leisurely stroll through the woods, and-"

Of course, the Pokémon wasn't buying it, and raised a Hammer Arm attack, quickly smacking Team Rocket away.

"We're blasting off too soon!" they cried out as they flew away.

Charmor and Chrysaluxe looked up to the giant Pokémon with apprehension, but fortunately, it calmly walked over to them, and after staring at them for a minute, picked them up in its arms and carried them away.

It felt like forever, but the giant Pokémon finally brought Charmor and Chrysaluxe to a small cottage, surrounded by trees. It put the two Pokémon down and suddenly, a short, hunched-over, old man with a long white beard and bald head walked up to them.

"Oh! So what have we got here?" he asked, smiling, his rotten teeth showing. "Aw, did yeese get into some trouble out in the woods there? Aw, no worries, we've all had them days. Come on, why don't we go inside? I'll fix you three something to eat."

* * *

"Chrysaluxe?" Serena called out into the woods. "Chrysaluxe? Where are you?"

Suddenly, Pikachu cried out, "Pika pika!" Everyone turned to face the small mouse Pokémon, and saw that it was pointing over to a certain cottage in the clearing. Just over the bushes, Serena could spy the old man, but she could also see something in his arms: Chrysaluxe.

"Alright, you found him!" she said with glee. "Hey! Chrysaluxe!" She began to run towards the cottage, the others struggling to keep up.

* * *

"Ugh..." moaned Jessie, pulling twigs from the bushes out of her hair. "I cannot believe that pig-nosed creep of a Pokémon got the drop on us."

"I know!" Meowth said, but unlike his teammates, his eyes were gleaming. "Can you believe how strong that Hammer Arm of his was? We gotta get him to sign with Team Rocket!"

"Oh, really, how should we do that?" James challenged.

Suddenly, Jessie spied something on the ground. It was a Chrysaluxe actually, sitting on the ground completely motionless. "What's this? Did my precious all-star return?"

"No, that other Chrysaluxe was with that twerp Pokémon," James reminded.

Suddenly, the Chrysaluxe began to glow, blinding everyone. The light grew brighter, and brighter, until finally it subsided, and Jessie, James, and Meowth were stunned to see the completely different Pokémon that was before them.

"That's it! That's my superstar!" Jessie gushed, as she threw a PokéBall at the Pokémon, and it pulled it inside, shaking three times before it clicked.

* * *

 **It's Riolu!**

* * *

The group walked over to the house, but found that it was strangely quiet. It seemed that the old man had already gone into the house. Serena decided to be the first to walk up to the house and tentatively knock on the door.

"Um, excuse me? Anyone home?" she said.

Suddenly, the door swung open and the old man was standing in the doorway. "Hmm? What've we got here? What brings you kids to my neck of the woods?"

"Sorry to disturb, sir," said Ash, "It's just that we lost some Pokémon around here. You won't happen to know where they are, would you?"

The old man just stood there, staring creepily, until he suddenly lit up and said, "Oh you mean my newest company? Yes, yes, of course, come on in!" He turned and walked inside, and Ash, Serena, and Vernon just shrugged and followed him in.

Once inside, the group felt a sense of unease by the wild Pokémon that were inside the house. There were Skitties, Pigdeys, Burmies, Zubats, and Suffuls lining the floor. They were all play-fighting with each other, until a Stufful knocked a lamp off the nearby coffee table.

"Oh, well, I see you've got a lot of Pokémon of your own, Mister..." Vernon started.

"Arnold, name's Arnold," said the old man."And they ain't mine. They just like to come into my house and help themselves. I just don't have the heart to kick 'em out."

He lead them into the kitchen and picked up up a bowl of cookies. "Here, cookie?" he offered.

"Um, sure," Ash accepted, taking one and biting into it. "Ooh, this is really good! What is it made of?"

"Just the usual," said Arnold. "Sugar, chocolate, butter, and about three pounds of lichen."

"What?" said Ash, spitting the cookie back out of his mouth. "Why would you ever put lichen in cookies?"

"Please, modern recipes are a fad," Arnold said. "I live out here to reconnect with humanity's roots, to reconnect with nature. We survived on lichen before, so why not now?"

Ash was about to protest, but then he saw two familiar faces sitting in the corner eating berries out of bowls.

"Charmor!" he said, running toward his Pokémon.

"Chrysaluxe!" Serena said, picking up here own Pokémon.

"Now what're youse doing with those Pokémon there?" said Arnold.

"Well, these were the Pokémon we were talking about before," Serena explained. "They wandered away earlier."

"Heh, wandered away," said Arnold, "maybe they just got tired of you, ya think?"

"What? No way, we were attacked!" Ash insisted.

"Or maybe they were just fed up with those new-fangled Poké-Whatchamacallits, eh?" said Arnold. "See, that's why we all come down here, to live off the land and live free form the modern world, right boys?"

Ash and Serena looked at their Pokémon in the eyes, and they could both see that their Pokémon agreed that this man was just nuts.

"Sorry, maybe we should get going," said Vernon, opening the door to the back, but saw a hairy, pig-faced Pokémon getting in his way.

"Whoa! What is that thing?" he said.

RotomDex flew up and scanned the Pokémon, before saying, "Giansquatch, the Hairy Pokémon. A Normal Type. Giansquatchs are rarely ever seen by human eyes. It is said that they wander the forest foraging and helping other Pokémon, but avoiding humans."

"Ah, yes, my closest friend here in the great outdoors," explained Arnold. "Giansquatch here always helps me out with the outdoor chores, bringing in a lost Pokémon or two, or just helping me reach something on a higher shelf."

Suddenly, Giansquatch picked Chrysaluxe and Charmor up in its arms, and carried them out the door.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa!" said Ash, walking forward protesting. "What do you think you're doing!?"

"You children have overlooked something, actually," Arnold stated. "That Chysaluxe of yours, young lass, it's gettin' ready to evolve, right? That's why it ain't moving."

"Um, yeah, but..." Serena said.

"So I suggest you folks let it stay here long enough for it to evolve. I do believe my backyard garden is the best place for it to settle down. It's got moss, wet plants, sunlight, everything it needs."

"Oh, no, that won't be necessary, sir, " Serena said. "We were just gonna take it to Violetrose Town and take care of it there."

"You don't seem to be getting it, missy," said Arnold. "It needs to be in sync with nature, with its natural home, before it can evolve correctly."

"No, my data says that Chyrsaluxe should be able to evolve no matter where it is," said RotomDex.

"Ugh, you city folks know nothing of Pokémon," said Arnold.

"But what about my Charmor?" said Ash.

"I can tell that your Charmor is a close friend to that Chrysaluxe," said Arnold. "I believe it should be present for emotional support."

"Are you sure?" Vernon said, an eyebrow raised.

"Come on," said Arnold, walking out the door. "Why don't you help me out in my garden? We'll pick some berries and your Pokémon will evolve in no time."

* * *

Giansquatch stood over Chrysaluxe sitting under a tree, still not glowing. Charmor sat right next to its friend, hoping to urge it to evolve so that they could all go and get on with their lives. Alas, it was having no luck.

"Ah, now isn't this relaxing?" said Arnold, pulling some Oran Berries off of a bush into a bucket he was holding. "Just taking a step back and listening to the sweet sounds of Mama Nature."

Ash was nearby, picking some Pecha Berries off another bush, while Serena and Vernon were picking Chesto and Rawst Berries off of others. "C'mon," Ash muttered to himself. "If people still wanted to pick their own food, they wouldn't have invented grocery stores."

"C'mon, Chrysaluxe," Serena said to herself, "evolve soon."

Suddenly, a huge net came out of nowhere, and everyone looked up to see that it was headed straight for Giansquatch. It wrapped around the giant, hairy Pokémon and tied it to the ground.

"Huh? Hey, what's the big idea!?" said Arnold.

"Prepare for trouble, looks like Mother Nature has provided!" Jessie said, making her entrance.

"Make it double, just look at what she and I did!" James said, making his entrance.

"To protect the world from devastation!"

"To unite all people within our nation!"

"To denounce the evils of living off the land!"

"To extend our reach now that victory's at hand!"

"Jessie!"

"And James!"

"Team Rocket blasts off at the speed of light!"

"Surrender now or prepare for a natural fight!"

"Meowth, that's right!" said Meowth, jumping in between his human partners.

"Wobbuffet!" said Wobbuffet, popping out from behind Jessie.

"Mime mime!" said Mime Jr, leaping onto James's head.

"Who are you city folks!?" said Arnold. "What do youse think you're doing'."

"Take a guess, old man!" said Jessie. "We want that Giansquatch of yours!"

"Its strength, its submissive attitude, it'll be a perfect addition to Team Rocket!" James gloated.

"Grr," said Arnold. "You city folks are all the same, takin' what doesn't belong to you, messing up a hard-workin' man's crops, and raising a needless ruckus! Get out! The lot of you!"

"Man, he sounds crotchety," said Meowth.

"I guess I would be too if I lived in a forest with only Wurmples for company," said James. "But anyway, we'll be taking that Giansquatch and be going now."

"I don't think so!" said Ash running up between Team Rocket and Arnold. "You'll have to get past me first!"

"And me!" said Vernon.

"And me!" said Serena. "Arnold, think you can let us help you?"

Arnold just paused for a second before saying, "Eh, do as you like."

Suddenly, a bright light got everyone's attention. They all looked back at Chrysaluxe, who was glowing more intensely than ever, until finally, it changed shape. It grew long, rounded, silver wings shaped like crescent moons, and a black, fuzzy body.

"Yes!" said Serena with shining eyes. "Chrysaluxe has finally evolved!"

RotomDex quickly got to work on scanning. "Lunoth, the Crescent Moon Pokémon. A Bug and Dark Type. When flying across the night sky, Lunoth's wings are sometimes mistaken for a full moon. It lives a secretive lifestyle, avoiding contact with people and other Pokémon when possible. Evolves from a female Chrysaluxe at level 13."

"Interesting. So our old friend finally caught up with us, huh?" said Jessie, rubbing her chin smugly. "Then now's a good time to let it know what else we've got now!" She threw a PokéBall, and out came a bug Pokémon similar to Lunoth, but with a white body and long, butterfly-like wings that were orange and ended in red tips.

Scanning this Pokémon, RotomDex said, "Solarfly, the Sunny Pokémon. A Bug and Psychic type. These Pokémon's wings can grow so big they can blot out the actual sun. They are known to be excitable creatures and never want to stop moving. Evolves from a male Chrysaluxe at level 13."

"C'mon, Lunoth! Let's show 'em what you're made of!" said Serena proudly, as her newly-evolved Lunoth flew up to her.

"Solarfly, use Solar Beam!" Jessie commanded. Solarfly's body glowed green before firing a green laser at Lunoth.

"Dodge it, Lunoth!" Serena said, and Lunoth flew out of the way. Suddenly, it emitted a stream of black rings of dark energy, with hit Solarfly head on.

"Neat! Lunoth has learned Dark Pulse!" said RotomDex.

"Alright then, said Serena. "Use Dark Pulse again! Blast it back!"

Lunoth launched a repeat of its attack, but this time, Solarfly saw it coming and managed to dodge.

"Use Psychic!" Jessie shouted. Solarfly's eyes glowed blue, and it lifted a nearby rock to toss at Lunoth.

Meanwhile, seeing that Serena had the battle handled, Ash made his way to a netted Giansquatch, trying to see how to set it free.

"Charmor!" he heard a voice say, and he looked down to see Charmor with its back scales sticking up, letting fire emit from underneath.

"Good call, Charmor," Ash agreed. "Okay, use Ember!"

Charmor mustered up its fire, until eventually, it managed to spit out a hot enough flame, it burned through a small section of the net. From this, Giansquatch reached out its hand and began tearing the net apart itself.

Lunoth continued to dodge attacks from Solarfly, but eventually, it flapped its wings and releasing silver, crescent-shaped bits of energy, which pummeled Solarfly until it fell back, dazed.

"Awesome! Lunoth learned Silver Wind, too!" said RotomDex.

Team Rocket was prepared to get back on the offensive, but suddenly, Giansquatch came crashing down behind them, and when they turned to face it, they saw just how angry it was.

"Uh, so what was that we said about you being submissive?" said Meowth, nervously rubbing the back of his head.

Giansquatch just stood silent until it raised another Hammer Arm and knocked all of Team Rocket sky high.

"WE"RE BLASTING OFF AGAIN!"

"Alright, Lunoth! You did it!" said Serena running up to embrace her Pokémon. Lunoth muttered a joyful noise before it saw its friend Charmor on the ground and flew up to it, and Charmor jumped up to it to nuzzle Lunoth with its nose.

"Guess, those two really are good friends, huh?" said Ash.

Arnold walked up and petted the arm of his large friend. "Ah, so glad to see you you're okay, Giansquatch. Yeah, you really know how to sock it to those city folks, huh?" Giansquatch nodded.

"So, now that Chysaluxe has evolved, we can go now, right?" said Serena.

"Oh what, you're just gonna leave an old man to pick his berries alone? Shame on you," Arnold said in a huff. Everyone looked confused, but one moment later, they found themselves forced to pick the rest of the berries for the old man.

"We're never gonna get out of here," muttered Vernon.

 _And with that, Chysaluxe has evolved into an elegant Lunoth! Certainly a fine addition for the next Pokémon Pageant! More to come, as the journey continues!_

 **TO BE CONTINUED...**


	16. Petrifying PokéTales!

_On this very night, once a year,_

 _there's one thing that runs rampant: fear._

 _When a Rockruff may evolve to howl at the moon._

 _When a Mismagius curses you with an eerie tune._

 _When a Houndoom bites you and you burn forever._

 _When a Drifloon lifts you away, light as a feather._

 _When a Noctowl swoops down on you from above._

 _When a Darkrai knows what you're most afraid of._

 _Ralia is a scary place on Halloween night._

 _Come on down. Stop on by. Join us for a fright._

 _Unless you think this night will make you feel unwell._

 _Maybe you should sleep with the lights on tonight. Don't worry. I won't tell._

As the narrator spoke, we caught a glimpse of the Halloween night that had descended on the Ralia region. A Midnight Lycanroc was standing on a rocky peak, howling at the moon, a Nincada shed its skin to become a Shedinja, a swarm of Golbats flapped past the full moon in the night sky, and a nearby traveler felt a chill as he turned around to see a cackling Gengar emerge from his shadow, make a terrifying face, and make the traveler run for it.

Nearby, Ash, Serena, Vernon, Pikachu, and RotomDex were walking through the night, a few of them trying to ignore the spooky atmosphere. "It's a bit weird wandering around out here on Halloween night, isn't it?" said Ash, looking around apprehensively.

"C'mon, you're not afraid, are you?" teased Vernon. "I've been in scarier movies than this. Ghost movies, black-and-white monster movies, psychological thrillers, teen romances..."

Suddenly, thunder echoed through the sky, and a bolt of lightning split the sky in half. The group was startled, but then suddenly came a downpour.

"Aw, great!" said Serena, covering her head. "We need to get indoors."

"Hey," said RotomDex, pointing towards a strange building in the distance. "There's a place we can hide."

* * *

The group entered the building, which on the outside, resembled a small motel. Entering, they found that the power wasn't working, so RotomDex lit up its screen to show that the motel lobby was completely empty.

"That's strange," said RotomDex. "Where is everyone?"

"Guess this place has been abandoned for a while," said Ash.

"Interesting," said Vernon, before getting a mischievous smile on his face. "Maybe it's... haunted?"

Serena felt a shiver go down her spine. "Hey, cut it out!" she demanded.

Suddenly, RotomDex started beeping. "Hold on, guys, I'm getting a report that's it's too dangerous to go outside for a while. We are all expected to stay indoors until further notice.

"So, we're just stuck in here until the storm passes?" said Ash, making himself comfortable on a nearby chair.

"Seems that way," said RotomDex.

"Hey, I have an idea," said Vernon, sitting down on a couch. "Why don't we pass the time by telling scary stories?"

"Do you really know any?" said Serena.

"Like I said, I used to be a horror star," said Vernon. "And I can tell you the key to a terrifying story is suspense. People are more afraid of things they don't know everything about, because they feel uncomfortable."

"Oh, I can tell a scary story like that!" said RotomDex. "Here, let me see..."

* * *

 _Once upon a time, on a dark, rainy Halloween night, a group of Pokémon trainers sought shelter from a savage storm outside, so they hid inside a run-down, abandoned hotel._

"Whoa, whoa, whoa!" came Ash's voice. "That's not a scary story! That's just what's happening right now!"

 _Huh? No, no, this is a, um, a completely original story loosely based on real events!_

"Oh, really?" said Vernon. "So what were the names of these people?"

 _Oh, um, their names were,_ Crash, Melina, _and_ Bernard! As RotomDex spoke in voiceover, three people who looked suspiciously like our human protagonists entered the motel in the story. In fact, they looked exactly like Ash, Serena, and Vernon, just all with red hair and red clothes. _Along with Crash's faithful companion, Pikachu-_

"Oh, come on!" said Ash.

 _Ooh, erm, I meant to say, an Aipom! Yeah, an Aipom of a different color! Which just so happened to be_ called _Pikachu!_

In RotomDex's story, a pink Aipom emerged from behind Crash's head, chuckling at the ridiculousness of the story.

* * *

"Okay, I've heard enough," said Vernon. "If you really want to tell a scary story, you need to know what your audience is scared of. Why don't I demonstrate?"

* * *

 _I'd like you to think of a time 2000 years in the future. Now this group of people are in space doing a little exploration. But while they cruise on their beloved starship, something goes terribly wrong._

This time we see Vernon, Serena, and Ash wearing space suits, examining things on a computer, until the ship's A.I., represented by RotomDex, "Attention all personnel. There has been a breach in the airlock. An asteroid has crash-landed there. Please get to the airlock to perform repairs immediately."

"We'll get right on it," said story-Vernon. Later, they were repairing the airlock while wearing space helmets, sealing the broken hole shut. Serena, however, wanted to examine the asteroid, which mysteriously began to crack open. Curious, Serena began to slowly walk towards it, until a tentacle grabbed her by the arm and yanked her in.

"Serena? Serena!" Ash called out after his friend. Suddenly, emerging from the asteroid, a giant Nihilego flew upwards, Serena contained inside of her.

"No, no, _stay away from me_!" Serena shouted in pain and confusion. Nihilego began spitting purple poison everywhere, and even using Power Gem to blast Ash backwards.

Suddenly, Vernon grabbed a nearby fire extinguisher and sprayed Nihilego with it, causing it to screech in pain. Slowly, it began to drop the poisoned Serena, and Ash quickly ran over to pull her free. Then, grabbing onto a handle on the wall, he pushed the button for the airlock, and the to door to outside was opened, sending Nihilego flying off into the vacuum of space.

"Is Serena alright?" said vernon, walking over to Ash, holding an unconscious Serena in his arms.

"I don't know," Ash said. "We should get her to the medical bay."

As they left the airlock, they failed to notice that something was left behind in the asteroid. It was a Pokémon egg. And it was starting to glow.

Later, RotomDex was using various robot arms to examine Serena in the medical ward. "Well, she doesn't seem injured, but she'll still be feeling that creatures neurotoxins for a while." Suddenly, a red alarm began blaring. "Red alert! We have another breach! It's coming from the cargo hold!"

"I'll check it out. Why don't you stay with Serena?" said Vernon. Ash nodded, and Vernon snuck down into the cargo hold. There, he heard some disturbing crunching and smacking. He could see a black, round organism hiding behind a stack of boxes. He hid behind another stack of boxes, and saw that it was a Guzzlord, and it was eating straight through the walls. Vernon gasped in shock, but he accidentally knocked a box on the floor.

The Guzzlord turned around, and thrashed at him with its two claw-tongues. Vernon dodged, but the Guzzlord eventually grabbed him and brought him close to its mouth. Vernon was set inside its mouth, but he fought back against the beast's mouth, before he grabbed one of the claw-tongues and poked Guzzlord's eye with it. It screeched in pain, and Vernon ran out of the cargo hold.

"We have a problem!" he yelled as he ran back into the cargo hold. "There's a Guzzlord in the cargo hold!"

"A Guzzlord! That's not good. It will eat everything that it sees, until there is nothing left on this whole ship!"

"It'll be okay, just as long as we don't panic," Ash said.

Suddenly, the computers suddenly went blank. Ash and Vernon looked out of the window to see that Rotom had ejected himself from the ship. "Sorry, you guys are on your own."

* * *

"Whoa, whoa, whoa!" yelled RotomDex. "I would never abandon you guys like that!"

"Yeah, well, I had to get rid of the A.I., otherwise the plot would have been resolved too easily," said Vernon.

* * *

"Now what do we do?" said Ash. "That Guzzlord will devour this whole ship! And we can't just leave Serena."

"We'll have to retreat on the escape pod," said Vernon. "But be careful. That creature could be anywhere."

Suddenly, they heard creaking above. Looking up cautiously, Vernon asked Ash to carry Serena. They quickly walked over to the bridge leading to the escape pod, but saw that it had been chewed apart. Ash suggested that they crawl through the air vents, and they made it inside, carefully pulling Serena along with them.

However, they heard a lot of creaking coming from the metal around them. They feared the moment that the Guzzlord would appear, yet it never came. Vernon eventually reached the duct right above the door to the escape pod. He jumped down and called up for Ash to follow him. But that's when he noticed that his friend had mysteriously disappeared. He called out again, but was met with silence. He looked around with apprehension, until-

"Vernon!" said Ash, tapping his friend's shoulder. Vernon about jumped seven feet in the air, until he turned to see Ash.

"Where in the world did you go?" said Vernon.

"I just saw Pikachu run by here," said Ash, handing the still unconscious Serena to him. "I gotta go grab him! You get the shuttle ready."

Soon enough, Ash was wandering around a dark corridor, and he felt some water splashing all over him. He looked up to see that the Guzzlord had chewed through some water pipes, which were now leaking water all over the place. Suddenly, he jumped when he saw a yellow spark, but quickly recognized it as Pikachu. He walked closer to a trembling Pikachu, hiding behind another pipe, its cheeks emitting energy.

"It's okay, Pikachu. We can go home now," said Ash, extending his hand towards his Pokémon.

However, Pikachu suddenly pointed behind him and screeched, "Pika pika!" Ash turned around to see the Guzzlord standing right behind him.

The Guzzlord grabbed Ash with one of its claw-tongues and tried to devour him, but Pikachu blasted the creature with a Thunderbolt, making it drop Ash. Ash quickly grabbed his Pokémon and ran for it.

Vernon had heard the ruckus, and walked away from the shuttle he had just set Serena in to investigate. Soon enough, a running Ash ran into Vernon, knocking them both to the floor. "Ugh, you guys okay?" said Vernon.

"I guess so," said Ash. "C'mon, let's get out of here!"

The two men and Pikachu boarded the escape shuttle, closed the door and blasted themselves away into space. At this point, Serena finally woke up, and her friends managed to explain what had happened to her.

"A Guzzlord, eh?" said Serena, rubbing her head. "Well, at least it's long gone."

Suddenly, they heard a loud noise. Like metal clanging against metal. Curious, Ash and Vernon looked over to a darker corner of the space shuttle, and cautiously peeked inside. Suddenly, they heard Serena screaming, and turned around to see that the Guzzlord was standing right in front of her. It roared ferociously, but Pikachu popped up on Serena's stomach and emitted electricity from its cheeks, ready to fight.

* * *

"The end!" said Vernon.

"What? That's it? It can't end like that!" said Serena. "Did they beat the Guzzlord or not?"

"I don't know," said Vernon. "Sometimes things must be left up to the audience's imaginations. That's what I was getting at before. People fear the unknown, so a good horror writer must make them assume the worst, by using tension, suspense, and making sure they can never feel comfortable."

"Oh, are you done?" said RotomDex, flying up to them.

"Where'd you go, RotomDex?" said Ash.

"Oh, I was just looking around," said RotomDex. "This motel, it has quite an interesting history, actually."

"Well, I'd like to tell a scary story too if you don't mind," said Serena.

"Wait, don't you want to hear-" said RotomDex.

"You know, Vernon, your story wasn't scary because there was nothing supernatural about it. The supernatural is what's scary. That's what the unknown is like. Sci-fi can't be scary because we know most of it is impossible and even if it were, we could design a way to deal with a monster like that."

"Okay, why don't you tell us a scarier story?" said Vernon.

"I will, 'cause I'm gonna tell one that can and will play on its audience's greatest fear: loss."

* * *

In Serena's story, she, Ash, Pikachu, and Vernon were walking through a mysterious woods. However, they couldn't help but notice that the sky was blackening, and there seemed to be some ominous clouds rolling in.

"Weird," said Ash out loud. "It was bright out here a moment ago."

Suddenly, the wind picked up, and there began a deep moaning. The group looked around nervously, looking for where it was coming from. That's when a terrifying creature emerged from over the horizon. Yveltal.

"Guys, look out!" Ash called out, as Yveltal screeched and unleashed an Oblivion Wing attack. It blasted the ground between the group, turning it all to stone.

"Pikachu, use Thunderbolt!" Pikachu leaped into the air and fired a torrent of lightning at Yveltal, but the giant bird simply blocked the attack with its wings.

"Use Iron Tail!" said Ash, and Pikachu's tail turned metallic silver and began bashing against Yveltal's wings. Eventually, the wings were moved out of the way, so Pikachu used Thunderbolt again, leading to a super effective hit. However, Yveltal recovered and charged forward. Pikachu hit it on the head with another Iron Tail, but eventually, Yveltal managed to knock Pikachu away, and unleash another Oblivion Wing.

"No!" Ash shouted out. Suddenly, the sun began to come out, and Yveltal, noticing this, decided to fly away. Ash ran over to wear Pikachu had landed, and was horrified to see that his lifelong partner had been turned to stone.

"No, no, no, this can't be happening!" said Ash, picking up Pikachu in his arms, big tears growing in his eyes.

"Oh, no, Ash, I'm so sorry," said Serena, walking up to him.

"After everything we've been through, how could it end like this?" said Ash, unable to hold back the tears in his eyes.

"Maybe it doesn't have to," came a mysterious voice. Everyone turned to face a mysterious woman cloaked in a black hood, her purple eyes visible underneath, and followed by a Duskull floating beside her. "I can see that the mighty Yveltal has come through here. It destroys everything in its wake. Still, I believe there may be one way to reverse your Pikachu's petrification. It involves a grave site overseen by Yveltal's counterpart, Xerneas."

"Xerneas? It's here? Well, we have to go see it!" Ash demanded.

"Hold on, Ash, how do we know we can trust this lady?" said Serena. "Doesn't anything about her seen strange to you?"

"I don't care, I gotta save Pikachu!" Ash insisted.

* * *

The mysterious lady led the group to strange grave site, littered with headstones for various Pokémon that had been buried there. In the center, they could see a tree. It looked like the form Xerneas would take when it went into slumber for a thousand years, yet it looked awfully strange. It was completely blackened with red streaks, and had an eerie aura.

"Uh, is that really Xerneas?" Vernon questioned.

"Well, if we are being perfectly honest, it is not truly Xerneas," explained the mysterious woman. "You see, Xerneas wandered through here long ago, and the people around here wanted it to use its powers to restore life to their fallen Pokémon. However, Xerneas insisted that it couldn't mess with mortality so frivolously, so they convinced it to give them a sample of its essence. Once Xerneas left, the people used the power of their Ghost-Type Pokémon to turn that essence into that tree right there. Their plan worked... more or less."

"Dus, Duskull," said the Duskull.

"More or less? What does that mean?" said Vernon.

The woman seemed to ignore him, and turned to Ash. "If you set your Pikachu here, by that tree, Yveltal's petrification should be reversed."

"Ash, think about this," said Serena. "Something feels really wrong around here. What if something goes wrong?"

"Young man, the choice is yours," said the woman. "You may restore your Pokémon to life, or leave it be. Just know that if you do, you hand your Pikachu over to the mysterious forces that control this very place. So the question is, how much do you want your Pikachu back?"

Ash looked thoughtful for a minute, but upon seeing his petrified partner in his arms, he nodded.

* * *

Later that night, Ash, Serena, and Vernon had prepared to sleep for the night. Ash hid himself inside the tent, feeling disappointed that the grave site's power didn't seem to save Pikachu. He covered his eyes with a pillow, and mumbled to himself, "Pikachu, I'm sorry."

Suddenly, he heard some crackling outside. Curious, he rose from the ground and walked outside, and was stunned to see that Pikachu was standing right outside, electricity emitting from its cheeks.

"Pikachu! You're okay!" Ash ran forward, overjoyed at seeing his best friend again. However, as soon as Pikachu saw Ash, it reacted violently. It blast a huge burst of electricity at him, leaving him almost completely fried.

"Ugh, Pikachu... what'd you do that for?" Ash said, trying to stand up.

"Pika pika!" Pikachu said angrily, its tail rising defensively.

"Ash, what's going on?" said Serena, she and Vernon emerging from their tents.

"Ugh, guys, look!" said Ash, pointing. "Pikachu's back!"

Pikachu was running into one of the tents, ripping angrily into a bag of Pokémon food, tossing everything to the side.

"Uh, Pikachu seems a little... different," said Serena.

"Hey, Pikachu, are you feeling okay?" Ash said, walking towards his partner. He picked Pikachu up in his arms, but Pikachu blasted him with a huge Thunderbolt, before using Iron Tail to free itself from Ash's grip, then running off into the woods.

"Pikachu, ugh," said Ash, holding his chest. "Wait up!" He ran off after Pikachu.

"Ash, no!" Serena said, as she and Vernon quickly ran after him.

Ash caught up to Pikachu, who turned to face its trainer with an angry expression.

"Pikachu, what's gotten into you?" Ash asked.

Suddenly, there was a loud screech, and Ash looked on in horror as Yveltal reappeared from behind a hill. Before Ash could even scream, Yveltal unleashed an Oblivion Wing.

* * *

"Ash? Ash?" Serena called out into the night. Suddenly she saw a silhouette of Ash, and quickly ran over, but was horrified by what she saw. Ash had been turned to stone.

"No!" Serena cried out, putting her hands on Ash, as if trying to get a reaction out of him. "No, no, no, you can't do this! You can't leave me like this!" Serena put her face into Ash's chest, tears welling up in her eyes.

"Oh, no, Serena, I-I can't believe this," said Vernon, walking over and putting a comforting hand on her shoulder. "I guess... we've lost him."

Serena looked up at Ash's frozen face. "No, maybe not yet."

* * *

Serena carefully carried a petrified Ash over to the mysterious grave site, with the Xerneas tree giving off an even bigger aura than before.

"Serena, I really don't think this is a good idea," said Vernon. "Look what happened to Pikachu!"

"Your friend is right," came a voice, and Serena and Vernon turned to see the mysterious woman and her Duskull again. "It was a mistake to show you all this place. I think Xerneas was actually right. We should not toy with life and death so frivolously. That is why Xerneas wouldn't lend its real power. That tree, it's not the real Xerneas. It is a dark imitation of its power. You saw what it did to Pikachu. This may be difficult for you, but I don't think you can save your friend now."

Serena paused for a while, but looked over at Ash's petrified face and said, "I'm sorry, but I can't let Ash go like this!"

* * *

Eventually, it was morning, though the sky was still covered in clouds. Serena and Vernon emerged from their tents and looked over the horizon, and suddenly, were stunned to see a familiar figure walking over.

"Ash? Ash, is that you?" said Serena, walked forward. It was Ash alright, carrying Pikachu on his shoulder as always. But something felt... off. Ash's eyes seemed to be blank, as if something behind them had died. He started forward with no emotion, and he said nothing.

"Ash? Ash, is it really you? Are you... feeling okay?" said Serena, cautiously stepping forward.

Then there came a screech, and Vernon realized in horror what was coming. "Serena! No, stay away from them!"

That was when Yveltal emerged from behind the hill. Serena screamed, and she noticed Ash pulling out a shovel as Yveltal unleashed another Oblivion Wing.

* * *

"The end," said Serena. "So you see? You have to know how to provoke the right emotions in your audience. I know that we'd all be devastated if we lost each other, now wouldn't we?"

Suddenly, RotomDex flew over. "Huh? Are you done?"

"What? You missed my story, too?" said Serena.

"Sorry, I guess I just lost interest when I realized I wasn't even in it."

Actually, RotomDex had been examining more of the motel's history. He had learned they had tried to automate many of its services by having a Rotom possess the computers, but the services were lackluster, so the motel eventually went bankrupt, and everyone just left.

"That was quite a story, Serena," said Ash, looking down to see Pikachu in his lap. "Certainly makes me grateful that I still have the real Pikachu right here."

"Pika, pika," Pikachu said glumly.

"Don't worry, buddy, I'd never let that actually happen to you," said Ash, petting Pikachu's head, before looking to Serena and Vernon. "Or to either of you."

"Right!" said Serena, smiling. "And I'd never let that happen to you, Ash!"

"What about you, Ash?" said Vernon. "Can you tell us a scary story?"

"I bet I can," said Ash. "You know, what was missing from your stories was ghosts! Everyone knows that the scariest stories have ghosts! Those guys know how to scare us, and spend all their time tormenting us. That's what makes them scary. Actual malevolent entities that want to hurt you!"

* * *

It was a dark and stormy night, and Ash, Serena, Vernon, and Pikachu were running through the rain, until they saw a mysterious wooden house in the distance. They quickly ran inside , shutting the door behind them, attempting to dry off.

"Well, at least we'll be safe from the rain in here," said Ash, setting his pack on the ground, Pikachu shaking the water off of its wet fur. Suddenly, every light in the house was turned on, startling the group.

"What? How does this place have power?" said Serena.

"Do you think someone still lives here?" said Vernon.

"I don't know," said Ash. "Maybe we should look around? Why don't we split up and look?"

 _"NO! Don't split up! Why do they always do that!?"_ came RotomDex's voice.

 _"Don't interrupt, RotomDex!"_ said Ash in a voiceover. _"Now where was I?"_

* * *

Pikachu was looking around on its own, until it came to a room with a TV. Suddenly, it saw the TV turn on, and start playing static. Curious, Pikachu walked closer, and it heard a faint voice. "Bzzt, c'mon, pal, why don't you join uzz, it'zz a Pokémon playground around here?" It seemed to say. Pikachu narrowed its eyes, and drew closer, but suddenly, it saw a massive, ghostly hand emerge from the TV. Shocked, it ran out of the room, and suddenly, a small tremor was felt.

* * *

Ash ventured into the kitchen, calling out to see if anyone was actually home. However, he suddenly began to notice a lot of rattling happening with some of the plates stacked on the table. Looking over at them, he saw them suddenly lift off the table and begin spinning in midair. They were hurled at him, and he only ducked just in time. Suddenly, some of the candles lit up on the table, before expanding in a horrifying blue flame, causing Ash to run out of the room.

* * *

Vernon looked around the bedroom, but was confused because he could not find anyone upstairs. He spied a small doll on the bed and picked it up. It was a pretty cute doll. Just a little girl in a plaid dress with red pigtails.

However, the doll suddenly began to glow. It shook violently, so Vernon dropped it. Suddenly, it changed itself into a Banette, who leaped onto its feet, unzipped its mouth and cackled madly. It leaped onto Vernon, who wrestled with it until he made his way over to the window, and threw it outside, and then he ran out the door.

* * *

Serena was looking through the living room. The TV was on and emitting static, but Serena could not hear the voices coming out of it. She looked around but couldn't find anyone home. Suddenly, she heard a huge rumbling outside. She looked out the glass doors leading out to the backyard, and was shocked to see an enormous Trevenant, which broke through the doors with its hand and grabbed Serena to drag her outside.

"Ahh!" she screamed. "Ash! Vernon! Help me!"

* * *

Elsewhere in the house, Pikachu was anxiously looking around after hearing Serena scream, but suddenly, the closet door behind it opened. Turning around, it saw a Lampent floating right in front of the closet, which was glowing a terrifying mixture of blue and red. Pikachu readied itself with electricity and emitted a Thunderbolt, but the Lampent quickly dodged and grabbed Pikachu, dragging it into the closet.

* * *

Ash and Vernon ran out to the backyard when they heard Serena scream, and were stunned to see her wrapped up in the Trevenant's Forest's Curse attack.

"Charmor, I choose you!" Ash through a PokéBall, which let out Charmor. "Use Ember!" Charmor spat Ember into Trevenant's face, and the tree Pokémon turned towards them angered.

"Floattery, use Acid!" Vernon tossed out his own Pokémon. Floattery spat purple liquid at Trevenant's Forest' Curse attack, causing it to reel back. Trevenant dropped Serena and got ready to attack again, but Charmor and Floattery used Ember and Acid together, beating Trevenant back, and making it retreat into the ground.

"Thanks, guys," said Serena, walking over to embrace her friends. "I thought I was mulch there for a second."

"So, I think we can agree this place is haunted," said Vernon. "We gotta get going!"

"Wait, where's Pikachu?" Ash said. He and Vernon recalled their Pokémon and went back inside the house with Serena, until they heard a peculiar sound. They could hear Pikachu calling out to them, but they couldn't tell where. Suddenly, Ash saw the TV flickkering, and as he walked closer, Pikachu's calling got louder.

"Pikachu?" he said. "Is that you?"

"Pika, pika," came Pikachu's distorted voice, until a new voice came forth.

"I'm afraid Pikachu belongzz to uzz now," said the voice from before, and suddenly, the static on the TV formed an image. It looked like there was a Rotom on screen...

 _"Hold it! So first I'm a dirty coward, then I'm not in the story at all, and now I'm the VILLAIN!?" cried out RotomDex in the real world._

 _"No, no, it's a completely different Rotom," said Ash's voiceover. "I just needed a type of Ghost-Type that could be in a TV."_

"Who are you?" said Ash in the story. "What do you want with my Pikachu?"

"Pikachu izz free from you zzelfish humanzz now," said the Rotom on screen. "He'zz on our side now..."

Suddenly, the couch in the room flew upwards, and the group narrowly dodged it. Then, the Rotom suddenly reached forward with a ghost hand coming out of the TV screen.

"Ah!" said Ash. "No, you stay away from us!"

"Don't worry, I know just what to do!" said Vernon.

"How are you gonna stop a ghost in the TV?" said Serena.

"Simple," said Vernon, who simply walked over to the wall, and pulled the TV's plug out of its socket.

"Ack! No! My only weaknezz! How did you know!?" said the Rotom, as the hand and the image on screen fizzled out. However, that's when they heard a huge tremor.

"We gotta get outside!" called out Vernon.

* * *

The group had managed to run away from the house, and stopped to catch their breath. "No, Pikachu!" said Ash. "We have to go back for him!"

"But how do we save him?" said Serena.

"Hey, guys, look!" Vernon pointed his finger towards a small shack. On it read, "Spirit Whisperer". "Maybe this person can help us."

* * *

Some time later, the group reentered the house, led by a woman who... looked suspiciously similar to the woman from Serena's story actually. Only now her cloak was blue and she had a Bulbasaur with her.

"You foolish children," said the woman. "You should never have entered this house. Do you know what this house is?"

"We cannot say we do, ma'am," said Vernon.

"This was once a mausoleum for deceased Pokémon. That is until some rich man decided to buy the property and convert it into his new house. Needless to say, the spirits of these Pokémon were angry, and attacked him as malevolent spirits until he fled."

"Why would these angry spirits take Pikachu?" said Ash.

"These spirits clearly despise humans beings," said the woman. "They must have abducted your Pikachu in a misguided attempt to save it."

The woman sat down on the coffee table in the living room, and got into a meditative position, before murmuring to herself. All remained quiet for a moment, until suddenly, the entire house shook like crazy. Ash, Serena, and Vernon nearly fell off their feet, but the woman and her Bulbasaur remained calm.

Eventually, the shaking stopped, and the woman said, "Yes, I see. These spirits dragged your Pikachu into the spirit realm. They opened a portal. That portal exists in... the closet in the upstairs bedroom!"

* * *

Everyone entered the upstairs bedroom, and opened the closet door, and saw the swirling blue and red vortex that was within.

"We gotta get Pikachu out of there!" said Ash.

"It won't be easy. But I believe, Bulbasaur can help us," said the woman.

"Bulba, bulbasaur!" said Bulbasaur.

A moment later, Bulbasaur had wrapped its Vine Whip around Ash's waist, and cautiously, Ash walked into the portal. All seemed quiet for a second, but then they all heard terrified screaming from Ash, and Bulbasaur felt itself getting pulled in.

"No!" said Serena, as she, Vernon, and the spirit whisperer grabbed onto the Grass Pokémon and began pulling. They kept yanking until suddenly, Ash was pulled from the closet portal, with Pikachu in his arms, but they crashed through the open window and fell outside, all the way down to the swimming pool that existed outside.

Ash pulled a dazed Pikachu out from the water and the Mouse Pokémon looked its trainer in the eyes. "Pika pika," it said weakly.

"Glad you're okay, Pikachu," said Ash. Suddenly, his relief was short-lived when the water around them began acting up. It trembling until some Dusknoirs and some Jellicents rose from the water. They shot some Shadow Punchs and Hydro Pumps at Ash and Pikachu, who quickly ducked underwater, and swam through the pool. Serena and Vernon arrived on the scene and quickly pulled them out of there, but the Ghost-Type Pokémon attacked them again, and the ran from the house, the spirit whisperer and her Bulbasaur right behind them.

They made it all the way down the hill, but suddenly the house flashed a blinding white. The group struggled to look at it, but the house grew smaller and smaller, until finally, it disappeared.

* * *

"The end!" Ash said, finishing his story.

"Ooh, that so spooky!" said Serena.

"You had me on edge," said Vernon.

"Hmph, I've seen scarier," said RotomDex, turning away with its arms folded.

"What's wrong, RotomDex?" said Ash. "I'm sorry I left you out of the story but-"

Honestly, RotomDex did not like any of these stories due to their portrayal of him. In Vernon's story, he bailed on his friends like a coward. In Serena's, he didn't even exist. In Ash's, he was one of the bad guys. And all three of these people had dismissed his story as not scary earlier. RotomDex thought if they wanted scary, then he would give them scary.

"Actually, I think it's my turn again," said RotomDex. "You guys just didn't let me finish! Now get ready, 'cause this story will keep you awake tonight!"

* * *

 _So, when we last left Crash, Melina, Bernard, and Pikachu the Aipom, they had settled down in a strange motel for the night, in order to wait out the storm outside. Of course, what they didn't realize is that this motel... held a deep dark secret._

As the characters in RotomDex's story looked around the motel, they hadn't the slightest idea that they were being watched. As Melina walked past an old TV screen, there seemed to be a shadowy figure wandering past her on it.

 _You see, this motel had once been run with the help of some Rotoms. They were brought in to possess the computers and automated services to help the customers. That is, until one day the customers continued to treat them so poorly, they got fed up and rebelled against the customers and their bosses. They'd fling dishes, squish people in their beds, and even tried to burn the place down. Eventually, the owners decided to abandon the hotel altogether, and that's when the Rotoms realized too late that they had no way out of the computers. They were trapped in this cyberspace-like limbo. At least, until now._

Crash with his Aipom on his shoulder suddenly made his way to a strange little arcade. In it were various arcade cabinets that didn't seem to work anymore. However, he got closer to one, which was actually a VR game for people and their Pokémon, complete with two headsets. Then, the machine mysteriously turned itself on.

Crash looked at the machine curiously, and, almost like the game was calling to him, he decided to put on one of the headsets, while his Aipom decided to put on the other. Once the game started, they saw that they were in a blank, empty, white space. There was nothing around, everything looked completely identical in all directions. But then, something curious happened. Two Rotoms appeared before Crash and Pikachu. They just floated there, doing nothing but carrying a creepy smile on their faces. But then, everything lit up in blue hue, and Crash and Pikachu felt very strange...

* * *

Melina and Bernard had reunited, and were looking around for Crash and Pikachu. Suddenly, the two appeared in a doorway, but something about them looked... off. Their eyes seemed to have turned a sinister shade of blue and they had creepy smiles on their faces. Melina and Bernard looked at them bewildered, until suddenly, Crash and Pikachu shoved them against a TV screen. The two felt a brief shock, before they blacked out. When they woke up, they saw Crash and Pikachu again, but now they looked completely normal. They were all inside that endless white space, and then they saw a TV screen light up in front of them. In it, they saw themselves, now all with sinister blue eyes and creepy smiles. Their other selves waved back at them, before the other Crash spoke.

"Thankzz for the bodiezz, zzuckerzz!" he said, in a voice eerily similar to a Rotom. The group in white space began banging on the screen, begging to be let out, but it suddenly went blank. Then, they heard chuckling, and turned around to see more Rotoms, who screeched, "More bodiezz, our freedom izz at hand! Now it'zz your turn to live in zzyberzzpace! Forever!" before they blasted them with Discharge.

Soon enough, the Rotoms that had escaped used their new bodies to walk out of the motel, breath in fresh air for the first time in forever, until they saw some more people walking past in the rain, and grinned when they knew they had found more vessels.

* * *

"And wouldn't you know it, but that motel was the same one that we are in now!" declared Rotom. "As I wanted to tell you earlier."

Ash, Pikachu, Serena, and Vernon were legitimately shaking now. "But, how could you know that?" said Ash.

"Who knows?" said RotomDex sinisterly. "In fact, what if I'm not _your_ Rotom?" Suddenly, his screen showed a video of a monster screaming, and Ash, Pikachu, Serena, and Vernon all screamed and suddenly stood up and ran right out of the motel, and into the pouring rain.

"Booyah!" RotomDex celebrated. "I told you guys I could tell a scary story! Hah! I can't believe they fell for that! Everyone knows it's impossible for a Rotom to possess an organic body!"

Suddenly, though, he noticed something in a nearby computer screen on the desk. Curious, he floated over, and gasped when he saw another Rotom on screen. "Izz there room for me in thizz zztory?" it said.

"EEK!" RotomDex shrieked as he quickly flew out the door, yelling after his friends, "Wait for meeee!"

"Aw," said the Rotom on screen. "I'm so lonely." Suddenly, it heard the door open yet again, and it looked to see that three more people had entered the motel.

"I can't believe it!" said Jessie, wringing the water out of her hair. "That rain ruined my hairdo!"

"It's okay, Jessie," said James. "We can wait out the storm in here."

"Yeah. Hey! Maybe we should pass the time by tellin' scary stories!" said Meowth.

"Wobbuffet!" Wobbuffet agreed.

"Mime mime!" agreed Mime Jr.

The Rotom on screen grinned as it got an idea for a little prank. It vanished from the screen, and suddenly, the whole motel came to life, bathed in an eerie, blue glow.

"EEK!" said Meowth. "What on earth is happening here!?"

 _We all hope you enjoyed what you've seen._

 _Good night, and have a happy Halloween. (sinister laugh)_

* * *

 **Ah, nothing like some good old fashioned horror parody to celebrate Halloween! So, I apologize to anyone who might get nightmares after reading this. Anyway, so long, and have a happy Halloween, everybody!**


End file.
